About: Playing Possum   Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : owl:Thing, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

A small-scale exchange of fire has just taken place. The bad guys see one of the heroes lying on the ground, apparently dead, with a sword or whatever sticking out of him or her. They approach the apparent corpse, or corpse is brought to them via The Body Bag Trick. As they stand over them, the "corpse" opens their eyes. And beats them up. See also I Surrender, Suckers. Compare Defensive Feint Trap. Contrast Finger-Twitching Revival. Examples of Playing Possum include:

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  • Playing Possum
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  • A small-scale exchange of fire has just taken place. The bad guys see one of the heroes lying on the ground, apparently dead, with a sword or whatever sticking out of him or her. They approach the apparent corpse, or corpse is brought to them via The Body Bag Trick. As they stand over them, the "corpse" opens their eyes. And beats them up. See also I Surrender, Suckers. Compare Defensive Feint Trap. Contrast Finger-Twitching Revival. Examples of Playing Possum include:
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dbkwik:all-the-tro...iPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:allthetrope...iPageUsesTemplate
abstract
  • A small-scale exchange of fire has just taken place. The bad guys see one of the heroes lying on the ground, apparently dead, with a sword or whatever sticking out of him or her. They approach the apparent corpse, or corpse is brought to them via The Body Bag Trick. As they stand over them, the "corpse" opens their eyes. And beats them up. In the Real Life, this is a war crime and has been since 1977. The Laws and Customs of War state that those soldiers that are hors de combat ("out of the fight") a category that includes prisoners, the severely wounded, the dead and ejecting aircrew -- although not paratroopers -- are not to be attacked. Feigning that status is perfidy and highly illegal, since it would lead to the other side killing the genuinely wounded on the spot (which is a war crime too) to make sure. Of course, fictionally (and non-fictionally), you're often up against people who aren't signatories to the Geneva Conventions... Although, playing dead in Real Life does have its quirks in specific situations. Such as when being confronted by certain animals, like bears, who are hardwired to mostly take interest in prey that look alive and kicking. If you can pull it off long enough, the animal in question will most likely leave your body alone, giving you a chance to escape. Note that Playing Possum is a phrase inspired by the Virginia opossum, which famously feigns death and produces a rotting smell. Proper possums are not noted for employing this strategy. Unfortunately for the opossum, this response to danger is involuntary and often leaves it incapacitated in a dangerous situation. See also I Surrender, Suckers. Compare Defensive Feint Trap. Contrast Finger-Twitching Revival. Examples of Playing Possum include:
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