Meaning
What does Cool As A Cucumber mean?
Cool as a cucumber is an idiomatic expression, generally being said about a person who can keep calm and stay casual in a rough situation, especially where others lose their cool.
The phrase can be used both in good situations, but always refers to an individual who can sustain tranquility under pressure.
It can be also applied to refer to an object’s or person’s temperature, but similarly to the other appliances above, this way is also meant to imply that the given object’s low temperature is a surprising factor.
Origin
What's the origin of Cool As A Cucumber?
The expression is believed to have stemmed from the fact that cucumbers, due to their high level of water percentage, always have a lower core temperature than their surrounding environment.
Cool as a cucumber started to appear in English literature as soon as the 18th century, featuring in poems, novels, as well as in etymological publications.
Spread & Usage
How did Cool As A Cucumber spread?
The site Urban Dictionary contains many articles on cool as a cucumber, with various definitions created as early as 2004.
In 2016, the YouTube channel VOA Learning English uploaded a short, 1-minute video that briefly explains the meaning of the idiom.
Cool as a cucumber also serves as a template for various motivational posters and merchandise found on the internet.
External resources
- Gingersoftware.com – As Cool as a Cucumber