Definition
Remain calm and patient; don't get excited or angry. It's used to tell someone to control their temper or not rush into action.
Etymology
This American phrase dates to the mid-1800s and refers to the literal act of keeping one's shirt on during a fight. In that era, men would remove their shirts before engaging in fisticuffs to avoid tearing their clothing, so keeping your shirt on meant staying out of the fight entirely.
Kelly Says
The phrase captures a fascinating slice of 19th-century masculine culture where shirt removal was such a standard pre-fight ritual that NOT doing it became synonymous with avoiding conflict altogether. It's one of the few idioms where the literal action (keeping clothing on) directly mirrors the metaphorical meaning (staying calm).
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ሰላም ያላችሁ
se-lam ya-la-chi-hu
BNবাংলা
শান্ত থাকো
shan-to tha-ko
CACatalà
mantén-te tranquil
man-ten-te tran-kil
DADansk
hold dig rolig
hold dig ro-lig
DEDeutsch
beruhige dich
bay-roo-hi-geh dikh
ELΕλληνικά
κρατήστε τον εαυτό σας ήσυχο
kratiste ton ego tou sas isycho
ESEspañol
tranquilo
tran-kee-loh
FAفارسی
آرامش خود را حفظ کنید
a-raam-sh khud ra havf konid
FISuomi
pysäytä
py-sta-ta
FRFrançais
prends ton temps
prãd ton tãp
GUGU
શાંતિ રાખો
shaanti ra-kho
HIहिन्दी
शांत रहो
shaant raho
HUMagyar
nyugodj meg
noo-godj meg
IDBahasa Indonesia
tenangkan diri
ten-an-kan diri
ITItaliano
prenditi un respiro
pren-dee un re-spe-roh
KMKM
បានស្ងប់
baan sang-boun
MRMR
शांत रहा
shaant rahaa
MSBahasa Melayu
tenangkan diri
ten-an-kan diri
MYမြန်မာ
ငါးငါးပြု
nga-nga-pyu
NLNederlands
kalm blijven
kalm blij-ven
NONorsk
hold deg rolig
hold deg ro-lig
PAPA
ਸ਼ਾਂਤ ਰਹੋ
shaant raho
PLPolski
spokoj się
spo-koj sie
PTPortuguês
fica calmo
fee-kah kal-moh
RORomână
relaxează-te
re-lax-ay-tsa-te
RUРусский
спокойся
spo-koy-sya
SVSvenska
lugna nerverna
loo-gna ner-ver-na
SWKiswahili
tulia
too-lee-ah
TAதமிழ்
சாந்தமாக இருங்கள்
saanthamaaga irukanggal
TEతెలుగు
శాంతిగా ఉండండి
shaantiga un-dandi
TLTL
payaman ka
pa-ya-man ka
TRTürkçe
sakin ol
sa-kin ol
UKУкраїнська
спокійся
spo-koy-sya
URاردو
شांत رہو
shaant raho
VITiếng Việt
bình tĩnh
binh ting
YOYO
jẹ́ káàbọ́
je ka-a-bo