affect vs play possum

affect is a noun but play possum is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
affect	Yes	No	Yes	No
play possum	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, play possum is a hyponym of affect; that is, play possum is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than affect:

Other hyponyms of affect include take a dive, bull, bullshit, fake, talk through one's hat, mouth.

affect (noun)	play possum (noun)
the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion

affect (verb)	play possum (verb)
act physically on; have an effect upon	to pretend to be dead
have an effect upon
make believe with the intent to deceive
have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
connect closely and often incriminatingly