It's Time to 'Play Possum'

It's Time to 'Play Possum'

Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

On this program, we talk about words and expressions in American English. And today we will talk about “defense¹ mechanisms³.” These are different ways the body reacts to changing conditions to keep it safe.

To learn more about defense mechanisms, let’s turn to the experts – animals! Many of them are experts at avoiding danger to stay alive. When animals are frightened or feel threatened, they take steps to protect themselves.

A monkey runs for the trees. Birds take flight. A turtle sticks its head back into its shell. An armadillo rolls up into a ball. And a skunk⁴ releases an unpleasant chemical.

The ostrich⁵, not known for its brainpower, buries its head in the sand as if nothing else can see the rest of its huge body. In American English, we also hide our heads in the sand to avoid something unpleasant.

But another animal, the opossum, does something even more unusual. It stops moving and pretends to be dead.

An opossum is a somewhat small animal with a long pointed⁶ snout. Most have a white face and grayish body.

Opossums were one of the first wild animals encountered by white settlers in the English colony of Virginia. The name “opossum” entered the English language in the early 17th century. It means “white dog” in the Native American Powhatan, or Algonquian, language. Many people drop the first “o” in the name, and use the term "possum" instead.

A possum plays dead to trick other animals or the person hunting it. The possum hopes that its hunter is not interested in a dead possum, only a live one. Faking death suggests: “Nothing to eat here. Just a dead possum. You can go on your way.”

An opossum playing dead can be, in a way, great theater. If the animal world gave awards for acting⁷, the opossum might win the award for ‘Best Death Scene.’

However, before we give that acting award, science may want to weigh in.

Scientists explain that opossums are not acting at all. They can’t help it! Playing dead is an involuntary reaction to a threat. It is simply the animal’s way to protect itself against danger. When it feels threatened, its body plays dead.

But why let a few scientific facts change a good expression. We haven’t! The fact that possums are not playing or acting at all has not changed the way we use the expression “playing possum.” And you can use this expression in many different situations.

For example, we play possum when we lie to avoid something unpleasant.

Let’s say you have a big test at school, but you did not prepare for it. You may pretend to be sick and stay home. Or you may want to avoid a difficult project at work. So, you call in sick. Both are examples of playing possum to avoid work or responsibility.

English has a great word that we can also use – feign⁸. When you feign an illness, you are pretending to be sick. If you feign interest, you are pretending to be interested in something.

We also use the expression “play possum” when feigning⁹ ignorance. In other words, we pretend not to know something so that we seem in the dark. Again, this is a good way to avoid responsibility.

Or we can simply play possum when we want to hide away and avoid other people.

We have another expression for this form of playing possum. If I lay low, I don’t respond to email; I don’t answer my phone; I don’t even open my door. I am avoiding the world. Singer Alan Jackson does the same thing in this song, “Just Playing Possum.”

And just playin' possum

Laying low

I've got hundred watts¹¹ of hurtin(g)

Coming through the speakers of my stereo

Don't want to see nobody

Nowhere I want to go

I'm just playin(g) possum

And laying low

Now, sometimes “playing possum” is the same as burying your head in the sand. But sometimes it is not. So, they are not interchangeable all the time.

Like our friend the ostrich, when you bury your head in the sand, you are avoiding a bad reality -- something you wish were different. You are not trying to lie or deceive anyone but yourself.

It’s a way of tuning¹² out life’s unpleasant situations. If the daily news upsets you, you may choose to bury your head in the sand and not tune¹³ in to any news programs.

Another thing to note, we use “burying your head in the sand” for both serious and lighthearted issues. But we usually use “playing possum” in a lighthearted way.

I mean, you have to agree, it does sound much nicer than lying.

And that’s Words and Their Stories. I’m Anna Matteo.

Just playin' possum

And laying low

Just playin' possum

And laying low

Words in This Story

defense mechanism² – n. a process in the brain that makes you forget or ignore painful or disturbing thoughts, situations, etc. : a reaction in your body that protects against disease or danger

pretend – v. to give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing does not pretend to be a psychiatrist¹⁴ : to make believe : feign he pretended deafness : to claim, represent, or assert falsely

involuntary – adj. not done or made consciously : not done by choice

feign – v. to give a false appearance of : induce as a false impression

watt¹⁰ – n. a unit for measuring electrical power

speaker – n. a device that changes electrical signals into sounds loud enough to be heard at a distance

in the dark – phrase in a state of ignorance about something

scene – n. a view or sight that looks like a picture

interchangeable – adj. capable of being used in place of each other

tuning out – phrasal verb : to dissociate oneself from what is happening or one's surroundings / tune in – phrasal verb : to associate oneself with what is happening or one's surroundings

lighthearted – adj. free from care, anxiety, or seriousness

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

3 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

5 ostrich   

n.鸵鸟

参考例句：

• Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.驼鸟是双腿跑得最快的动物。
• The ostrich indeed inhabits continents.鸵鸟确实是生活在大陆上的。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 feign   

vt.假装，佯作

参考例句：

• He used to feign an excuse.他惯于伪造口实。
• She knew that her efforts to feign cheerfulness weren't convincing.她明白自己强作欢颜是瞒不了谁的。

9 feigning   

假装，伪装( feign的现在分词 )； 捏造（借口、理由等）

参考例句：

• He survived the massacre by feigning death. 他装死才在大屠杀中死里逃生。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。

10 watt   

n.瓦，瓦特

参考例句：

• The invention of the engine is creditable to Watt.发动机的发明归功于瓦特。
• The unit of power is watt.功率的单位是瓦特。

11 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

12 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

14 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。