Body language.

Has a friend ever shared a secret and then told you to keep it under your hat? This is a special way of telling you to keep the news to yourself. Sayings like "Keep it under your hat" are called idioms (ID-ee-umz). When we talk, idioms help us explain what we mean. When we listen, idioms form pictures in our mind that help us understand what we hear.

How many of the idioms below on the left have you heard? Each missing word is the name of a part of the body. You'll find a clue to the meaning of the idiom in parentheses to the right of each saying.

WHAT WE SAY                           WHAT WE MEAN

 1. Keep your--to the grindstone      (to work hard)
 2. A--as long as a fiddle            (a gloomy expression)
 3. Pull the wool over his--          (to fool him)
 4. Butter wouldn't melt in his--     (he's pretending to be
                                        innocent)
 5. In one--and out the other         (not paying attention)
 6. Have your--in the right place     (you want to do the right
                                        thing)
 7. Get cold--                        (to become afraid to do
                                        something)
 8. Hit the nail on the--             (to give exactly the right
                                        explanation)
 9. Make her--stand on end            (to frighten her)
10. Use some--grease                  (to scrub hard)

1. nose

2. face

3. eyes

4. mouth

5. ear

6. heart

7. feet

8. head

9. hair

10. elbow