play possum
Étymologie
[modifier le wikicode]Locution verbale
[modifier le wikicode]play possum \Prononciation ?\
- (Amérique du Nord) Faire le mort.
The opossum, colloquially known as a possum, is about the size of a domestic cat.
— (BBC News, US man 'tried to revive dead opossum' in Pennsylvania, 27 mars 2010)
Such animals are known to feign death when threatened, giving rise to the phrase "playing possum".
Synonymes
[modifier le wikicode]- → voir play dead
Hyperonymes
[modifier le wikicode]Prononciation
[modifier le wikicode]- (Australie) : écouter « play possum [Prononciation ?] »