How to Suppress Interactive Assignment to "_"

[JKPeck]

The gettext module uses the convention of defining a function named
"_" that maps text into its translation.
This conflicts with the automatic interactive interpreter assignment
of expressions to a variable with that same name.

While if you are careful, you can avoid that assignment while
debugging, and you can choose a different function for gettext, this
conflict is a nuisance.  I am looking for a way to suppress the
expression assignment to _ or to change the name of the variable
assigned to.  Is this possible?  Using Python 2.6.

TIA,
Jon Peck