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Thursday 1 March 2012

Entry: sangroid (n.)


In context: "Marathe's tone now became derisive despite his legendary sangfroid in matters of technical interviews: 'These sentiments from a person who allows them to place him in the field as an enormous girl with tits at the cock-eyed angle, now discoursing on tragic love.'"

Definition: Coolness, indifference, absence of excitement or agitation.


Other: A great word!  Here's where a literal translation would suggest something other than intended - at least in tone:


Etymology:  < French sang-froid , lit. ‘cold blood’ (sang blood, froid cold).

In the 17th cent. the expression was in France often written erroneously sens froid , as if it contained sens ‘sense’ instead of the homophonous sang ‘blood’.


SNOOT score: 3


Page: 106

 
Source: Oxford English Dictionary


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