Don’t move a muscle . . .
QUESTION Do possums really play dead when threatened?
FAKING death to evade a predator was once known as Thanatosis, from the Greek for ‘put to death’. Scientists believe it’s not a deliberate ploy but an automatic response called tonic immobility — tonic in this sense refers to a continuous tension in the muscles.
There is loss of sensation and consciousnes plus rigidity of the body.
This behaviour is most dramatically displayed by the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) — hence the colloquialism ‘playing possum’ — but is common among animals.
It’s been widely recorded in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.
In invertebrates, it has been shown to occur in crustaceans, stick insects, spiders, butterflies, stoneflies, water scorpions, cicadas, crickets, mites, beetles, ladybirds, damselfly larvae, ants, bees and wasps.
The Virginia opossum is the most famous example because of the contorted posture it adopts, with its eyes open and tongue protruding from its mouth.
It also urinates, defecates and secretes a foul-smelling fluid from its anal glands that act as a chemical deterrent.
N. K. Rayner, St Andrews, Fife.
QUESTION Sanction has opposite meanings: a penalty or official permission. Are there other words like this?
A word with opposite definitions is a contronym, auto-antonym or Janus word. Janus was the roman god of doorways and beginnings (thus January, the first month in the roman calendar), who was depicted as having two faces because doors can be used from two sides.
Contronyms may be true homographs, which are distinct words with different etymology that happen to have the same form. or they can be a form of polysemy, where a word acquires a different and ultimately opposite sense.
Sanction, from the Latin sanctio, via the French sancire, which means ratify, is a form of polysemy that can give rise to ambiguous sentences, for instance: ‘Because of the company’s oversight, its behaviour was sanctioned.’
Cleave is a good example of a homograph. The meaning of separate comes from the old English clcofan while the meaning of adhere is from the old English clifian.
resign works as a contronym on paper and is thus a homograph. when meaning to quit, the word is spelled the same as when meaning to sign again, but they are pronounced differently.
Left can mean remaining or departed. depending on the context, dust can be used for applying — dust strawberries with sugar — or removing.
Fast can mean moving rapidly or to be fixed, unmoving, as in holding fast.
In Britain, to table means to begin consideration of a proposal. But in the U.S., to table means to postpone or suspend a motion.
Bound can mean tied down and to jump; an apology can be an expression of regret, but also a defence or justification; and you can screen (show) a film, but also screen (hide) something from view.
Jane Beale, St Albans, Herts.
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