keep one's head

Idioms  

1. Stay calm, retain self-control, as in When the rowboat capsized, George yelled that everyone should keep their head and hold onto the boat . This usage dates from the early 1600s and is about two centuries older than the antonym, lose one's head , meaning “to become confused and agitated,” as in Whenever the stock market goes down sharply, people seem to lose their heads and sell .

2. keep one's head above water . See head above water .

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Example Sentences

It's unlikely he's wearing a lifejacket and trying to keep one's head above water even in a slight chop can be exhausting.

From Time Magazine Archive

It's a hard question to ask and keep one's head up in the sisterhood, much less answer.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nor was it a weapon, a style of cooking, or something to keep one’s head dry in foul weather.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

"Somebody once told me," said Rosamund Hunt, "that it's easier to keep one's head when one has lost one's heart."

From Manalive by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)

Adj.; keep one's head above water, tide over, save one's bacon; ride out the storm, weather the storm; light upon one's feet, land on one's feet; bear a charmed life; escape &c.

From Roget's Thesaurus by Roget, Peter Mark