What's the difference between aplomb and elan?

Aplomb


Definition:

  • (n.) Assurance of manner or of action; self-possession.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Castillo, who's seized his chance with aplomb, gets on the end of an aerial one-two in space and is free in front of goal.
  • (2) The young Spaniard, who has deputised at right-back with such aplomb this season, had the confidence to canter goalwards and plant the ball with his left foot into the far corner of the goal.
  • (3) No fairytale ending for Germany, mind, as Ronaldo fancied making good the horrors of 1998, and did so with aplomb.
  • (4) And it has managed to do this with some resourcefulness, if not quite aplomb.
  • (5) With his usual aplomb, he turned his back on his detractors and continued to paint in the name of his multireligious India elsewhere.
  • (6) Ceramicist Grayson Perry responded to a falling out with rather more aplomb.
  • (7) Alistair Beaton writes: Not long before he died, Ned was lying in a hospital room receiving visitors with his usual cheerful aplomb.
  • (8) Not just because of her sheer endurance i n a nearly 11-hour filibuster, not just because she stood up to condescension and sexism, and not just because she did it all with aplomb and grace.
  • (9) The cast always performed as smoothly as if they had had months of rehearsals, Williams doing his Rambling Syd Rumpo with aplomb.
  • (10) Jon Stead, a vibrant force up front all afternoon, squared the ball for the onrushing Mark Yeates, a Bradford substitute, and he despatched it with aplomb.
  • (11) Croatia 1-0 Cameroon (Olic 10 min) The hardest looking man on the pitch puts Croatia ahead against the run of play, finishing with aplomb from seven yards out after being teed up by a wonderful diagonal pass from Ivan Perisic.
  • (12) With characteristic Kinois aplomb, he believes the city that was once a shining star of Africa can somehow find its way back to prosperity.
  • (13) Its government has so far handled the modest tasks of the EU rotating presidency with aplomb.
  • (14) Bettino Craxi, who has died aged 65, was Italy's longest serving post-war prime minister (1983-87), filling the office with considerable aplomb and presiding over a period of strong economic growth; but he will be remembered as a tragic symbol of Italy's devastating corruption scandal and the man who effectively destroyed the Italian Socialist party (PSI).
  • (15) That win proved she had transferred her considerable talents to the road with great aplomb, involving as it did a lengthy solo escape in the final 40km which hinted at what she would achieve here, although with two other women for company.
  • (16) Roma doubled their lead with a strikingly similar goal, Radja Nainggolan beating his man just inside the home side’s half before threading the ball to Dzeko, who finished with aplomb on 29 minutes.
  • (17) Thus at the age of 37, Kerry took over the business empire, ironically handling the reins of power with aplomb.
  • (18) Bailey recalls that Dimbleby also chaired an edition of Question Time in Northern Ireland more than a decade ago, the first to feature a guest from Sinn Fein, and managed the debate, which also included an Ulster Unionist, with aplomb.
  • (19) "The real question is why Monsieur Cahuzac lied with such aplomb?
  • (20) Broken Sword 5 Serpent's Curse (£4.99) The Broken Sword games are brilliant: engrossing adventures that have navigated the path from PC to mobile with aplomb.

Elan


Definition:

  • (b.) Ardor inspired by passion or enthusiasm.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) As Heseltine himself argued, after the success of last summer's Olympics, "our aim must be to become a nation of cities possessed of London's confidence and elan" .
  • (2) You've shown "elan, dedication, skill and customary energy" while "producing a terrific newspaper and keeping the staff motivated and happy".
  • (3) Joey Barton tweeted with customary elan, "Go on the birds", and for the next 20 minutes GB peppered the Brazilian goal.
  • (4) He loaned me a Pure Elan DX40, a low-end mains-powered table-top model.
  • (5) Susan Elan Jones resigned as shadow Wales office minister.
  • (6) Because SB 1062 is explicitly intended to counteract last year's ruling of Elane Photography in New Mexico , in which Elaine Huguenin, a photographer, turned down a request from a lesbian couple to document their commitment ceremony because same-sex unions were against her religion.
  • (7) His tone at that moment was serious but there was much more to revel in; Southampton won 12 of their final 18 Premier League games and here, eventually picking off a much-changed but willing Crystal Palace , was further evidence of the elan that might have yielded even greater reward had an awkward early winter spell not given them ground to make up.
  • (8) 1.29pm GMT Labour's Susan Elan Jones asks if the increased fines for breaches of the national minimum wage laws will be in place by 1 January.
  • (9) Stout became a non-executive director of another London-listed pharmaceutical company, Shire, and Ingram is chairman of the biotechnology firm Elan.
  • (10) To lose the way she did, with quiet elan and sustained skill under intense pressure, leaving every sweat-drop of effort on court during two and a quarter hours against possibly the best player in the history of the women’s game – such a British defeat – was a victory in itself.
  • (11) Last year, aged 85, with provocatively typical elan, he suggested that a neutron bomb might prove a useful resolution of the situation in Afghanistan.
  • (12) Cary Grant himself could not have pulled off that bacon butty with elan.
  • (13) To my ears, DAB sounds worse than FM, even on the Elan, but my wife either didn't notice or didn't care whether I'd secretly switched the setting to FM.
  • (14) Should City’s fears about Kompany be confirmed, such attacking elan may be required.
  • (15) Kelner also admitted that Alton had edited the paper "throughout one of the most difficult periods of its history and has done so with elan, dedication, skill and his customary energy".
  • (16) Kelner added: "Roger has edited the Independent throughout one of the most difficult periods in its history and has done so with elan, dedication, skill and his customary energy.
  • (17) At one of the earliest debates, Carly confronted Donald Trump, a man who in his characteristic understatement said of her, ‘look at that face’ and every one of us remembers the grace, the class, the elan with which Carly responded.
  • (18) For all the claims of his detractors that Stewart is the epitome of East Coast elitism, there is more self-deprecating New Jersey grit here than arrogant Manhattan elan.
  • (19) Her conduct after the attack, bringing together this concert and hosting it with such elan, further underscores her maturity.
  • (20) I’m obviously pleased the UMP can now close the scars of the previous [leadership] election.” Later he added: “It’s now up to him to give the UMP the elan it needs and for that he will have to unify.