noun General Slang

Cool Cat

/ˈkuːl ˈkæt/ · noun · slang

A composed, stylish, in-the-know man — the very picture of beatnik cool.

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Definitions

1

Someone admirably unflappable under pressure.

“Real cool cat — didn't blink when the cops showed.”
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2

A respected member of the jazz or beat scene.

“Every cool cat in town turned out for the late set.”
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3

A man who is calm, confident, and fashionably hip.

“That cool cat in the beret runs the poetry nights.”
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Cool Cat In A Sentence

He's a cool cat, never rattled, always smooth.
The cool cats gathered at the coffeehouse till dawn.
Dig that cool cat on the tenor sax.

Origin & Usage

Combines 'cool' — a prized jazz value of composed understatement, popularized via cool jazz — with 'cat,' the jazz term for a man. The phrase became a defining beatnik archetype in the 1950s.

Variants hep cathip cat
Tags #beatnik#1950s#beat-generation#vintage#music

People Also Ask

What does cool cat mean in slang?

It means a calm, stylish, in-the-know man — the embodiment of beatnik and jazz-era cool.

Where did cool cat come from?

It joins jazz's prized idea of 'cool' (composed understatement) with 'cat' (a man), both from Black jazz culture. Beatniks made it an archetype in the '50s.

What did 'cool' mean to beatniks?

Not cold, but composed, understated, and in control — a value drawn from cool jazz, signaling effortless self-possession.

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