Play possum

装睡、装死、装无辜

看过电影“Ice Age” 的人一定知道possum是“负鼠”。Play possum是什么意思呢？请看对话：

A: What’s up? You look angry.

B: I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when a baseball crashed through the window and sent broken glass all over. When I went out and asked who did it, the children just played possum.

A: Play possum?

B: Possums, or opossums in British spelling, will fake death when they sense a threat. Some people also say they are paralyzed by fear. Anyway, to play possum means to feign sleep or death, or pretend ignorance.

A: Like possums, the children who broke your window might be frightened and not know what to do. So don’t be mad at them.

B: OK. Now help me fix the window.

记住了吗？Play possum就是“装睡、装死、装无辜”。