We communicate most commonly , of course , with our words . But we also speak with our bodies . We call it body language . Sometimes , though , we need to describe our body language with words . That is what today's show is about – talking about body language . Two types of body language have made their way into text messaging and social media language . The most common is LOL . If we are LOL-ing , we are laughing out loud . That is what l-o-l stands for . And it is easy to know when to use this . If a friend writes something to you that is extremely funny – or hilarious – you can reply with a “LOL .” In conversation , though , it sounds weird to say the letters “L-O-L .” Here's another one you might see in a text message from a friend . So , when someone nods their head up and down , that means they are in agreement . And if they shake their heads back and forth , it means they are disagreeing . Well , sometimes it does . Sometimes shaking one's head means something completely different . For example , I might say I could only shake my head at his arrogance . This means that I couldn't believe that he had said or done something so arrogant . In a text , email or social media post , you can simply type SMH . But just as with LOL , it doesn't sound right in spoken English . Here is an example of how to use the full phrase “shake my head ” in a conversation . I can't believe how your friend acted at the funeral ! When the preacher began speaking , she laughed out loud . It was so disrespectful . How do you think I felt ? I was standing with her ! I could only shake my head and cringe inside . It was so embarrassing ! If your friend is always behaving badly , you may just have to throw your hands up . This body language expression means that you realize that you cannot do anything to make a situation better . For example , let's say you are teaching a roomful of young children when suddenly a dog runs through the classroom ! The children jump up and start laughing and chasing the dog . You can't do anything to quiet them down . So , you just throw your hands up and let them have fun . Shrugging your shoulders is when you raise and lower them . As body language , it shows that you don't care about something . But it can also mean that you are uncertain or perhaps just bored . For example , let's say I am babysitting a friend's child . At dinnertime , I ask the child , “So , do you want pasta or rice for dinner ?” He doesn't say anything . He just shrugs his shoulders . So , I made my favorite – pasta with tomato sauce ! Rolling your eyes is another way to show you don't care . This body language says that you don't care AT ALL about what someone is saying . So , teachers and parents often criticize children for eye-rolls by simply saying , “Don't roll your eyes at me !” Staying with the eyes , we come to raising eyebrows . Usually when we raise our eyebrows , our faces look as if we are surprised or shocked by something . But raising your eyebrows can also show that you disapprove of something . Let's hear it used in a short dialogue . Did you hear about Jack ? During the weekly meeting with staff , he wore a head-to-toe clown costume . Oh , that's nothing . He lost a bet with his son and had to wear it . Well , it raised some eyebrows around the office . People are saying he isn't serious enough to be manager . Wearing a clown costume is nothing to raise your eyebrows at . People should really lighten up ! Now , when some people are nervous , they bite their nails . It may not be a good habit , but it has given us a useful word . When talking about a sporting event , the opposite of a nail-biter is a blow-out . A blow-out is a game where one team out scores the other by a lot . Did you watch the basketball game last night ? What a great game . I haven't seen a game that close in a long time . The score was tied until the last 10 minutes ! It was a much better game than last week . One team scored 68 points in the first quarter while the other didn't even score one . Even though this program is not a nail-biter , we hope you're not rolling your eyes or shrugging your shoulders with boredom . And we certainly hope your eyebrows aren't raised in disapproval . But we do hope you give us a thumbs up , which -- of course -- means “good job .” Does your language have expressions for body language ?