Assertion: opossum | /r/CapableOf | play possum
Facets:
value: often
type: DEGREE
value: by acting like a dead animal
type: MANNER
Source sentences:
text: Playing Possum: When opossums are attacked, they will "play possum," pretending that they are dead; they remain still, do not blink, and their tongue hangs out.
text: Possums don’t Actually “Play Possum”
text: When an opossum is "playing possum", the animal's lips are drawn back, the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes close or half-close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands.
text: When threatened or harmed, opossums have been known to “play possum” by acting like a dead animal, which may cause an onlooker to think that the opossum is suffering from rabies.
text: It is “playing possum”
text: When an opossum is "playing possum", the animal's lips are drawn back, the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes close or half-close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands.
text: When opossums are playing possum, they are not “playing.
text: Opossums can “play possum”
text: Playing Possum: When opossums are attacked, they will "play possum," pretending that they are dead; they remain still, do not blink, and their tongue hangs out.
text: They "play possum" when they sense danger by falling over, salivating excessively, and appearing dead.
text: Opossums are well-known for pretending to be dead, or “playing possum,” but that isn’t playing for them.
text: When opossums are attacked, they will "play possum," pretending that they are dead; they remain still, do not blink, and their tongue hangs out.
text: As adults, opossums are typically not aggressive, often preferring to “play possum” instead of fight.
text: Younger opossums are less likely than mature individuals to play ’possum, but even older animals can’t be relied on always to collapse in a confrontation—they may growl, bite or, most typically, flee
text: It seems the possum was playing possum!