to keep one's countenance: to preserve composure, refrain from expressing emotion; now esp. to refrain from laughing or smiling. So (here, or…

intransitive. To rise or become superior to; to surmount, overcome; to recover from (an illness, etc.). Now rare except in to get above oneself at…

to keep one's head: to remain calm, to retain self-control; to keep one's wits about one. Similarly to keep a cool (also level,etc.) head. Also t…

Originally U.S. keep your shirt on: used to urge a person not to lose his or her temper, or to remain calm. Compare to keep one's hair on at hair, n.…

to keep one's hair on (slang): to keep cool, not to lose one's head or get excited.

Phrases and proverbial sayings. (a) against the wool: contrary to the direction in which wool naturally lies, the wrong way. (b) to draw (pull, †spr…

transitive (originally dialect and in U.S.) to bat the eyes: to move the eyelids quickly, to wink. Also frequently in colloquial phrase (normally in…

to keep one's pants on: to keep calm. Usually in imperative. Cf. to keep one's hair on at hair, n. phrases 11.

figurative. With complement. transitive with it and complement. To deal with a situation in a specified way. to play it safe: = to play safe at…

slang (originally U.S.). Composure, relaxedness; poise, self-control. Esp. in to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool.