Definition: noun self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain

Etymology: French sang-froid, literally, cold blood

Quotation: “Et Michael Phelps en perd son habituel sang froid. Pour 8 centièmes de seconde, le relais américain devance la France, pour remporter un titre olympique qui échappait aux Etats-Unis depuis 1996.”
(Rough) Translation: “Michael Phelps loses his usual sang froid. By 8 hundredths of a second, the American relay edged out France, to regain an Olympic title which had eluded the United States since 1996.”
- from an article in Le Monde, a French news publication

Despite my quotation of a French source on an originally French expression, the term “sang froid” is also utilized extensively in English press and prose. I just couldn’t resist this particular instance of its use in the native tongue.
Let me explain. Yesterday my roommates and I spent an inordinate amount of time watching the Olympics, and the men’s 400m freestyle relay was set to cap off the night. Many countries were represented but there were only two real contenders for gold: France and the US. France took down the gold on the last meeting in 2004 and, despite our status this go-around as the slight favorite, claimed that they would “smash” us again. And for the first three legs of the relay it appeared as if they would do just that. Going into the last leg they were ahead by half a body-length–well more than one swimmer could reasonably be asked to overcome in just 100 meters. But the USA’s own Jason Lezak did just that. He held on for the first 75 meters or so and then kicked it into overdrive, thrusting himself above the water with gigantic strokes and walked down the Frenchy competition to win the gold by eight hundredths of a second. Our house exploded in jubilation. It’s been a while since I’ve been so proud to live in the USA.
So while the picture above doesn’t necessarily represent “sang froid”, it captures an awesome moment and comes as a direct result of some serious cold-blooded revenge enacted upon the French by Jason Lezak. Check out the video.