play dead

faire le mort

Rester allongé sans bouger pour faire croire qu’on est mort.

En anglais simple : To lie still and pretend that you are dead.

• My dog can play dead.
• The small animal played dead until the danger passed.
• Can you teach your puppy to play dead?

Synonymes : pretend to be dead

Expressions courantes : play dead convincingly, play dead quietly, play dead again

feindre la défaite

Faire semblant d’être vaincu en attendant une occasion d’attaquer.

En anglais simple : To pretend you have been beaten while waiting for a chance to attack.

• They played dead and waited to attack.
• The fighter played dead until his opponent lowered his guard.
• Their army may be playing dead to draw us into a trap.

Synonymes : feign defeat

Expressions courantes : play dead strategically, play dead briefly, play dead first