Playing possum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Playing possum is a phrase that, taken literally, means to pretend to be dead.
It comes from a characteristic of the Virginia opossum, which is famous for pretending to be dead when threatened. This natural instinct does not always pay off in the modern world: for example, opossums scavenging roadkill may use it in response to the threat of approaching traffic, and end up as roadkill themselves.
"Playing possum" can also mean simply pretending to be injured, unconscious, or otherwise vulnerable, often to lure an opponent into a vulnerable position himself.
