keep one's head

English

Alternative forms

Verb

keep one's head

  1. (idiomatic) To remain calm, reasonable, level-headed, especially in a situation likely to cause distress.
    • 1895, Rudyard Kipling, “If—”:
      If you can keep your head when all about you
      Are losing theirs and blaming it on you . . .
    • 1910, John Buchan, Prester John, ch. 16:
      The ruffian kept his head, and though the dog's teeth were in his shoulder, he managed to get his right hand free.
    • 2008, "Mother Throws 7 Kids Out Window To Save Them From Fire," CityNews (Canada), 7 March (retrieved 12 Dec. 2009):
      Officials are calling the woman a hero for keeping her head and finding the only way out amid the panic of the smoke and flames.

Antonyms

See also
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