as cool as a cucumber
1
4.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
tan tranquilo como un pepino
- I'm as cool as a cucumber.
Examples
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He settled right in and resumed his breakfast, and was as cool as a cucumber.
Blog text (2) -
Despite the chaos around her, she stayed as cool as a cucumber, calmly directing everyone to safety.
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I mean, no matter what happened, I mean, he was as cool as a cucumber.
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As cool as a cucumber.
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As cool as a cucumber.
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Even in the face of criticism, she remained as cool as a cucumber and handled the situation with grace.
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During the presentation, he was as cool as a cucumber, effortlessly answering difficult questions from the audience.
Synonyms
606
3.3
Calm and in control when things are difficult
19
4.3
In a calm way that shows little worry or emotion
2
2.2
Being relaxed and calm or made cold
1
6.2
Very calm and not nervous in a difficult situation
Being very calm and not showing fear in a stressful situation
Move or rest very calmly, like a cat on something cool
Antonyms
How Calm
Surface Forms
Morphology
The simile pattern 'as ... as ...' plus knowledge of 'cool' (calm) and 'cucumber' (a cool vegetable) gives a learner a plausible route to infer a meaning related to being very calm. However, the link that a cucumber implies calmness is a culturally based metaphorical extension (temperature → composure) and may not be immediately obvious to all B1 learners without prior exposure. Because the compositional structure helps but the specific figurative association is not fully predictable, this is best classed as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The idiom as cool as a cucumber comes from the image of a cucumber staying cool inside even on hot days, so the vegetable became a picture of calm. That's why saying someone is as cool as a cucumber means they are 'very calm' and not 'nervous'.