keep cool

keep (one's) cool

To maintain control of one's composure, temper, or nerve in a given situation. He really kept his cool when the waiter dropped his food. I tried to keep my cool during the interview, but I was extremely nervous the whole time.
See also: cool, keep

keep cool

1. To stay calm and composed. You know they're going to try to antagonize you during the debate, so just keep cool. I always try to keep cool when dealing with the cable company.
2. Literally, to not get overly hot, as in hot weather. A: "How have you been during this brutal heat wave?" B: "Oh, keeping cool, thanks to the air conditioning in the office."
See also: cool, keep
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

(I've) been keeping cool.

 and (I've been) keeping cool.
Inf. an answer to a question about what one has been doing during very hot weather. Jane: How do you like this hot weather? Bill: I've been keeping cool. Mary: Been keeping cool? Bob: Yeah. Been keeping cool.
See also: been, cool, keeping

(Have you) been keeping cool?

 and (Have you been) keeping cool?; You been keeping cool?
Inf. an inquiry about how someone is surviving very hot weather. Tom: What do you think of this hot weather? Been keeping cool? Sue: No, I like this weather just as it is. Mary: Keeping cool? Bill: Yup. Run the air-conditioning all the time.
See also: been, keeping

keep cool

Inf. to stay calm and undisturbed. Relax, man, keep cool! If Sally could just keep cool before a race, she could probably win.
See also: cool, keep

keep one's cool

Inf. to remain calm and in control. Relax, man! Just keep your cool. It's hard to keep your cool when you've been cheated.
See also: cool, keep
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

keep cool

Also, keep a cool head; stay cool; be cool; (take it cool). Remain calm and under control, as in Keep cool, they'll soon show up, or Be cool, the surprise is not spoiled, or You have to keep a cool head in these volatile situations, or Sit tight, take it cool, they won't bother you again. All these terms employ cool in the sense of "not heated by strong emotion," a usage dating from the late 1300s or even earlier. The first three expressions are colloquial and date from the second half of the 1800s; both of the last two are slang, and the very last (take it cool) is the oldest, first recorded in 1841. Also see keep one's cool; play it cool.
See also: cool, keep
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

keep your cool

COMMON If you keep your cool, you control your temper and stay calm in a difficult situation. Hilde's one of those born managers — keeps her cool in a crisis. I knew I had to keep my cool, but it was hard.
See also: cool, keep
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

keep cool

in. to keep calm. Now, keep cool. It’s going to be all right.
See also: cool, keep
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • keep (one's) cool
  • keep one’s cool
  • keep one's cool
  • keep your cool
  • keep/lose your cool
  • lose (one's) cool
  • lose cool
  • lose one’s cool
  • lose one's cool
  • lose your cool
References in periodicals archive
oWhile it is true that we need to use air conditioning to keep cool in the summer, we can be more thoughtful about our habits by making sure that we reduce wasteful energy consumption,o said Tanzeed Alam, Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability, EWS-WWF.
Ways to reduce energy costs in summer
I could go with Jude to the pool to keep cool, but pets aren't allowed.
Schotzie's doghouse: summer splash
In developing countries with hot climates, where air conditioning is costly, Cahaner thinks his featherless model could be highly cost-effective--the chickens keep cool and grow rapidly.
Gross out? (Activities & Oddities)
"We squirted each other with water from our bottles to keep cool."
Race draws big MTMC participation
If all these tactics fail and you are bitten, try to keep cool. Don't pull away.
Canine confrontations
New Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith was yesterday told to 'keep cool and stick at it' by his predecessor William Hague as he greeted him at the party's conference in Blackpool.
Hague gives Smith seal of approval in person
Keep cool on a hot summer day with these water games.
WATER FUN
Like the two other kettles in the line -- the 1.8-quart Whistling Teakettle and the 2.2-quart Brittany/Traditionnelle Teakettle -- the new Demi Teakettle is made of porcelain enamel on steel and teatures phenolic knobs and locking, no-rust handles that keep cool even when the water inside is boiling.
Le Creuset Rounds off Its Line of Teakettles
When the thermometer climbs, what do you do to keep cool?Jump in the pool?
Keeping cool: take a tip from the animals
But there are other ways in the animal world to keep cool. Birds can bathe, find shade, and ruffle up their feathers to let the heat escape.
Do birds sweat like humans do?
When he died, he left very little behind: a collection of flannel shirts that he wore even on the hottest summer days (scissoring off the sleeves to keep cool), an old bed, the radio on which he listened to baseball games, and that aluminum cup.
Do this in memory of me
* To keep cool, dress in loose-fitting garments made of 100 percent cotton.
Making life easier
Trees never get as hot as asphalt because evaporation helps to moderate their temperature, much as a person perspires to keep cool. When plants wilt, the leaves are demanding more water than is available; if the demand continues, the plant may die.
Cooling our baking cities
A LITTLE sun on Denise and a paddling pool for the toes - these Loose Women know how to keep cool in the good weather.
I'm getting Outen the sunshine