cool n.2
1. temper, poise, composure, attitude to life and ability to deal with it.
![]() | Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 58: ‘Well, that’s pretty average cool,’ said Abanazar. | ‘Slaves of the Lamp — Part I’ in|
![]() | Marvel 8 Dec. 28: Not for a moment did the old trapper lose his head, but, with consumate coolness, he continued to fire. | |
![]() | Magnet 27 Aug. 8: My dear chap, your coolness is too good. | |
![]() | Howard Street 156: Pinball, his cool completely gone, said, ‘What the hell are we waitin’ for, man?’. | |
![]() | Dear ‘Herm’ 92: Love is a dangerous disease [...] marked by high fevers, far-out illusions, bad English, and a complete paralysis of cool. | |
![]() | Harder They Come 204: Every day dem more desperate too — no have no cool an’ no style neider. | |
![]() | Powder 8: Identifying with his understated street cool. | |
![]() | Life 68: The height of existentialist cool and pretentiousness. |
2. (US teen) a temporary armistice between opposing street gangs.
![]() | Shook-Up Generation (1961) 20: The street and commercial establishments fronting the boundary are no man’s land – safe enough during a ‘cool’. | |
![]() | Big Rumble 29: ‘There’s a cool on. Isn’t there? An armistice?’ ‘How long you figure this cool between the Scratchers and the Spiders is gonna last?’. |
3. (orig. US black) sophistication, the prevailing fashion.
![]() | Awopbop. (1970) 108: I’ll even be able to adopt slouching Brando cool. | |
![]() | Makes Me Wanna Holler (1995) 27: They set the standard for hip and cool. | |
![]() | Observer Rev. 9 Jan. 10: Splitting up and dying are the only ways to ensure everlasting coolness. |
4. (US campus) a fashionable, drug-taking (or whatever is deemed relevant) young person, as opposed to a straight, conventional person.
![]() | Bad (1995) 64: ‘Look here, cool,’ he says to me. | |
![]() | Angel Dust 77: To be ‘cool’ (that is acceptable) among both cools and rowdies, you must be willing to ‘get high’. | et al.
5. (US) constr. with the, the epitome of excellence.
![]() | The Cut (NY Times Mag.) Mar. 🌐 The Cool (or in Chloe’s words, The Dope, The Awesome, The Lit, The Legit). |
In phrases
1. to lose control, to become nervous or angry.
![]() | Chosen Few (1966) 182: He blew his cool, called me some off th’ wall names and finally told me what page he was on. | |
![]() | Friends of Eddie Coyle 164: What the fuck’s the matter with you guys down there, you blow your cool permanently. | |
![]() | Bachman Books (1995) 573: I’m gettin senile, Bennie, Blowin my cool. | Running Man in|
![]() | Filth 87: Her cool’s blown. | |
![]() | Shame the Devil 44: Steve blew his cool, started screaming at the guy over the phone. | |
![]() | Mystery Bay Blues 121: Hang on a moment, Morgan [...] You’re blowing your cool. |
2. to ruin one’s image, to discomfit oneself, to make an exhibition of oneself.
![]() | Addict in the Street (1966) 68: Now if I blew my cool – if I got up and said I was going and they knew what was happening – they couldn’t stop me. | |
![]() | Third Ear n.p.: blow one’s cool v. to disconcert. | |
![]() | Guardian G2 11 Aug. 14: Mack has [...] bolstered his bid for wider acceptance, but blown much of his cool. | |
![]() | Indep. Rev. 19 May 14: It seems that Mos Def and his crew (of one) have blown their cool. |
to inform upon.
![]() | Vulture (1996) 79: A young cat will blow your cool when the Man applies the heat. |
(US) to keep calm; to relax.
![]() | On the Yard (2002) 15: You jus’ hold yore cool [...] They got an assload a time out in that cou’troom — all’s you got to do is back up and get it. |
(orig. US) to remain calm, despite circumstances to the contrary.
![]() | Chosen Few (1966) 35: ’Tis merely that thing by which all of us either keep or lose our cool. | |
![]() | Times 9 Nov. 19: I managed to keep my cool, however, and told him I wouldn’t sign an exclusive contract with anyone. | |
![]() | Serial 32: She kept her cool, since Harvey and his hangups were no longer her problem. | |
![]() | Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 171: Keeping his cool, Harry straightened his hat, threw away his cigar and ambled over. | |
![]() | Remorseful Day (2000) 228: I think he kept his cool. | |
![]() | Cartoon City 59: Once a woman felt relaxed, then she would get down to it. It was all a matter of keeping his cool. |
(orig. US) to lose one’s dignity or self-possession, to lose one’s temper.
![]() | ‘Death Row’ in Life (1976) 119: Dig yourself, creep, don’t lose your cool. | et al.|
![]() | Chosen Few (1966) 180: He’s after your ass and if he can gitcha t’lose your cool, that’s it. | |
![]() | Go-Boy! 56: The Dick lost his cool at something big dumb Rocko had done. | |
![]() | Beano Special No. 13 n.p.: Oh-oh! Gran’s lost her cool. | |
![]() | Green River Rising 222: Klein was just an asshole losing his cool. | |
![]() | Observer 6 Feb. 16: Faith, very much losing his cool: ‘Are you going to be serious? Let’s be serious, please’. | |
![]() | Observer Mag. 1 May. 28/2: Before the last egneerral election he often lost his cool swhen the media focused on the tax affairs of Tory donor Lord Ashcroft. |
see cool v.3 (2)