miss a beat
Lose your rhythm
To miss a beat is to hesitate or falter, even momentarily.
The phrase comes from music, where missing a beat disrupts rhythm.
It appears almost exclusively in the negative: someone who doesn't miss a beat responds instantly and smoothly, maintaining composure or momentum.
She didn't miss a beat when the reporter asked about the scandal.
- falterLose momentum or steadiness
- stumbleLose footing momentarily
- hesitatePause in uncertainty
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- skipTo deliberately exclude
caught off guard · freeze · glitch · unflappable · without flinching · smooth operator · mistake · seamless · slip-up · hiccup · oversight · blunder · misfire · composure · delay · waver · silence · error
miss a beatkeep one's cool
Maintain emotional control
stay calm · roll with the punches · keep one's head · brush it off · shrug it off
miss a beatkeep cool
Remain calm under pressure
stay cool · roll with the punches · keep one's cool · keep calm
beat, miss, beaten, beating, beats, heartbeat, beater, drumbeat, beaters