"Sang-froid" is going to sound snobby in any English text or conversation. To be honest, it's a bit much for me. I can't imagine ever using it. I'd probably pick "poise" or "self-possession" instead, or "indifference." But I like having "sang-froid" in my back pocket, just in case.

So, when you don't mind using a fancy, French, formal, somewhat rare term, then instead of talking about someone's composure, or their grace under fire, or their cool-headedness, talk instead about their sang-froid.

You might say that someone speaks, writes, answers, responds, reacts, or behaves with sang-froid. Or, say that an actor plays a character with sang-froid, or that a musician performs with sang-froid, or that a comedian relates an anecdote with sang-froid.

"[Celeste] sings, 'Please don't mistake me for somebody who cares' with a husky, jazzy sang-froid that calls to mind Billie Holiday." 
   — Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 3 February 2021

"He leaned with the utmost sang-froid against the door, while he filled with tobacco his clay pipe, from which he proceeded to puff eddies of smoke right into Ráby's face."
   — Mór Jókai, The Strange Story of Rab Ráby, 1879

has this page helped you understand "sang-froid"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "sang-froid" without saying "composure" or "cool-headedness."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "It's entertaining to watch (some actor or character)'s sang-froid in the face of (some kind of stress, disaster, or stupidity)."

Example 1: "It's entertaining to watch Daria's sang-froid in the face of idiocy and superficiality."

Example 2: "If there's anything to take from this film to get us through [the COVID] lockdown, it's Bond’s sang-froid in the face of apocalypse."
   — Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, 13 April 2020

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Palindromes in Poems: Yay!

Check out the snippet of a poem, and supply the missing palindrome: the word spelled the same backward and forward, like "yay," "sees," or "racecar." Highlight the hints if you need them, and see the answer by scrolling all the way down. Enjoy!

Try this one today:

"As a young man, I pricked the bubble   
Of every creed; I saw that rubble
And offered myself the realms of earth   
Just to say Yes. But what’s it worth?   
No thank you, _____. Behold the Ram   
Of God: I doubt, therefore I am."
   — W. B. Snodgrass, "Dr. Joseph Goebbels (22 April 1945)," 1955

To reveal the hints below, highlight the hidden white text.

Hint 1: The number of letters in this palindrome is... four.
Hint 2: The letter that this palindrome starts and ends with is... "M."

review this word:

1. A near opposite of SANG-FROID is

A. ARDOR (burning enthusiasm).
B. RESPLENDENCE (brilliant beauty).
C. INSOLENCE (disrespectful rudeness).

2. Rather than continuing to _____ people who block doorways, Henry Alford vowed "to react to all door-clogging with as much breezy sang-froid as possible."

A. shout hotly at
B. give the side-eye to
C. stare in silence at

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. A Answer to the game question: "As a young man, I pricked the bubble    Of every creed; I saw that rubble And offered myself the realms of earth    Just to say Yes. But what’s it worth?    No thank you, Ma'am. Behold the Ram    Of God: I doubt, therefore I am."    — W. B. Snodgrass, "Dr. Joseph Goebbels (22 April 1945)," 1955

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.