lips, tongue

Lips

Idiom	Explanation	Example
my/his/her etc. lips are sealed	promise not to discuss/reveal information	I won’t tell anyone. My lips are sealed
on everyone’s lips	talked about by a lot of people	News of a royal engagement was on everyone’s lips.
stiff upper lip	ability to not show negative emotions for example anger, fear, pain or disappointment (a character often associated with British people)	Although it hurt when Harry broke his arm, he kept a stiff upper lip and did not cry.

Tongue

Idiom	Explanation	Example
on the tip of one’s tongue	when you are unable to remember a word or name although you know it	What’s his name again? It’s on the tip of my tongue.
cat got your tongue?	unable to speak because of embarrassment or shyness	Woman: Hello little Esther. Esther:… Mother: Say hello, Esther. Esther:… Woman: What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?
set tongues wagging	cause people to gossip or spread rumours	Photographs of the Prince in a jeweller’s shop set tongues across the country wagging.
tongue-in-cheek	an insincere, joking or ironic comment/a comment which is not meant to be taken seriously	I’m sorry if I offended you. My comments were tongue-in-cheek, I never thought you would take them seriously.

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Exercises C1

Complete the sentences with the words below.

lip – lips – tongue

Chris never shows his emotion. He has a stiff upper .
When she told her sisters about her new friend Michael the news set wagging. That night her mother called to ask when the wedding was.
Your secret is safe with me, my are sealed.