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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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

The creeks were frozen over and there were fascinating slides,—long, slippery places like a sheet of glass,—and the triumph was to slide the whole length and keep one's head well up.

From A Little Girl in Old Philadelphia by Douglas, Amanda Minnie

"Possibly," Vuillet resumed; "but the best of causes at the present time is to keep one's head on one's shoulders."

From The Fortune of the Rougons by Vizetelly, Ernest Alfred