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play possum притворяться (больным или мёртвым); прикидываться (несведущим или непонимающим); прятаться
MEANING:
ORIGIN:
to pretend to be unavailable, ignorant of a fact or uninterested in order to protect oneself He may be away – he doesn’t answer the telephone – but he might just be playing possum. The term comes from the opossum which when confronted pretends to be unconscious or plays dead.
play second fiddle играть вторую скрипку; быть на вторых ролях
MEANING:
ORIGIN:
to be a follower; to be in an inferior position Why should Jesse play second fiddle to him? She’s as smart as he is. In an orchestra, there are the roles of first violin (or fiddle) and second fiddle. The person who plays first violin is supposed to be the most important musician in an orchestra. So, since at least the middle 1700s, when this saying was first used, playing second fiddle has meant to act the smaller part or to be in a lower position rather than to be the leader.
play the field заводить / крутить романы
MEANING:
ORIGIN:
to have many sweethearts or dates without going steady or committing yourself to one person I don’t plan to date just one man. I’m going to play the field. During the 19th century, gamblers who wanted to increase their chances of winning money at a horse race bet on every horse except the favorite. This was called playing the field (of horses). Later the phrase was extended to other areas of life, especially dating.
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