What does the expression playing possum means?

What does the expression playing possum means?

To pretend to be dead, a trick used by opossums to defend themselves from predators: “Everyone thought the old con man had died, but it turned out he was just playing possum.” By extension, it also means “to pretend to be asleep, or to lie low”: “Come on, Harry, open your door.

What does stop playing possum mean?

Playing Possum Meaning Definition: Pretending to be dead. People typically play possum to avoid something negative, such as being attacked, or to trick someone else.

Is it playing possum or playing opossum?

The name “opossum” comes from the Algonquian language word “aposoum” meaning “white beast.” Although opossums are not white, their face is. The term “playing possum” means to remain quiet and still – opossums fall over and appear to be dead.

What is the original meaning of opossum?

In North America, the animal officially called an opossum is a white and gray marsupial of the order Didelphimorphia. English colonists living in Jamestown derived the word from its equivalent in Powhatan, a language spoken by the Virginia Algonquian tribe. Literally, the word means “white dog or beast” in Powhatan.

What do eat my dust mean?

US, informal. : to breathe the dust that has been raised into the air by the vehicle that is moving in front of one He said, “Eat my dust!” as he jumped in his car and drove away. —often used figuratively They were quick to create new products and left other companies eating their dust.

What does the idiom get someone’s goat mean?

informal. : to upset or irritate someone The way she’s always correcting other people really gets my goat!

Is it bad to have a possum in your yard?

If there is an opossum in the backyard, don’t worry. They aren’t a threat, and more than likely they will be moving on in a short while. But far from being a nuisance, opossums can be beneficial for your garden, eating snails, slugs, insects and sometimes even small rodents.

What’s the difference between a possum and an opossum?

Both possum and opossum correctly refer to the Virginia opossum frequently seen in North America. In common use, possum is the usual term; in technical or scientific contexts opossum is preferred. Most English speakers who encounter the creature drop the Virginia and refer to it simply as an opossum.

What does possum mean in slang?

The word possum is an informal, regional variation on opossum that’s only used in North America. It’s especially common in the phrase “playing possum,” which refers to the possum’s involuntary reaction to fear or harm, falling into a death-like faint, and also to a person who pretends to be innocent.

Who says Eat My Dust?

It was originally titled The Car, and Griffith says he only suggested Eat My Dust! as a joke, but the marketing department at New World loved it.

What car was in Eat My Dust?

Mabel, a race-prepped 1968 Chevy Camaro, steals the show. But what Dust lacks in terms of cinematic proficiency, it more than makes up for in terms of cars to ogle. Mabel, a bright-orange, 1968 Chevy Camaro in full race trim is the star.

What is goat slang for?

the Greatest Of All Time
Not many people can claim to be the G.O.A.T., but those who can are the Greatest Of All Time in their field. Most often, the acronym G.O.A.T. praises exceptional athletes but also musicians and other public figures. On social media, it’s common to see the goat 🐐 emoji in punning relation to the acronym.

Where does the phrase’to play possum’come from?

Hence, the expression of “playing possum,” is common among the inhabitants, being applied to those who act with cunning and duplicity.

Why do they call an opossum a possum?

play possum, to. To pretend ignorance; to feign sleep or death. This term comes from the fact that opossums fall into a kind of coma when they are caught, appearing to be dead.

What’s the best way to play with a possum?

play possum. 1 pretend to be asleep or unconscious when threatened. 2 feign ignorance. This expression, recorded from the early 19th century in the USA, refers to the opossum’s habit of feigning death when threatened or attacked (possum is an informal US term for an opossum).

Where did the expression possum feign death come from?

This expression, recorded from the early 19th century in the USA, refers to the opossum’s habit of feigning death when threatened or attacked ( possum is an informal US term for an opossum).