Aplomb — A Vocabulary Story
Uche and the Runaway Trolley
Uche's dad had one rule at the supermarket: "Hold the trolley. Do not ride the trolley."
Uche held the trolley with the quiet aplomb of a boy who takes rules very seriously. It was his little sister Ada who rode it.
Aplomb means self-confidence or assurance, especially in a difficult situation; calm and skilful poise under pressure.
One minute she was sitting quietly among the tins of beans, and the next the trolley was rolling away down the slope of aisle seven, gathering speed like a shiny silver rocket.
Dad froze. A lady dropped her basket. Ada waved cheerfully, as if this had been the plan all along.
But Uche did not panic. He set off after it with remarkable aplomb, walking briskly, dodging a tower of loo rolls, and sidestepping a man carrying a watermelon.
"Coming through," he said politely. "Slightly urgent trolley situation."
The trolley clipped a display of crisps. Bags rained down like crunchy confetti. Uche caught two of them mid-air with the aplomb of a juggler, popped them into a passing shopper's basket, and kept moving.
Just before the trolley reached the yoghurt fridge, Uche grabbed the handle and brought it to a smooth, gentle stop. Then he straightened his jumper as though he stopped runaway trolleys every Tuesday.
"Nothing to see here," he announced with such aplomb that a shop assistant actually clapped.
Dad arrived, puffing like a kettle. "How are you so calm?"
Uche shrugged. "Somebody in this family has to be."
Ada held up a tin of beans. "Again?"
"No," said Uche and Dad together — though only Uche said it with aplomb.
Word Definition
aplomb
meaning
self-confidence or assurance, especially in a difficult situation; calm and skilful poise under pressure
synonyms
composure · poise · self-assurance · confidence · calmness
antonyms
nervousness · awkwardness
example sentence
She answered the tricky questions with remarkable aplomb.