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presence of mind

noun [U]
 
 
approving

Definition

C2 the ability to make good decisions and to act quickly and calmly in a difficult situation or an emergency: When the gunmen came into the bank, she had the presence of mind to press the alarm.IntelligencePerceptive
(Definition of presence of mind noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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