Shut Up!

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I’m calling from Encinitas in San Diego County, California.

Hello, Lisa.

Hi.

Well, welcome to the program, Lisa.

What’s up?

Well, I am around a lot of young people. I teach writing lessons, and of course we’re always chatting and, you know, kind of talking to each other and having a good time. And lately I have used, I guess I’m getting a little older, and my vernacular isn’t quite what it used to be.

It’s so hard being 27, isn’t it?

Yeah, plus, plus, plus. Let me just stop here a second. You said riding lessons or writing lessons?

Riding.

Riding horses.

As in horses.

Horses.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So we have a lot of fun. And the other day it was a little funny because one of the girls said something, and I said, shut up, like, you know, as an exclamation. And she looked at me like, why would you tell me to shut up? And I think I hurt her feelings a little bit.

Oh, she didn’t get that?

No, she didn’t. And I thought I delivered it properly. I don’t know.

How old is she?

12, 13.

Okay.

And you are?

Let’s say I’m almost 50.

Okay. And so, you know, I just was wondering if there was a, not that, you know, I have to be, you know, hip hop or anything. Is there’s just some updating I can do to my vocabulary to, you know, not offend the kids.

Well, I have to be honest. I thought people were still using shut-ups.

Yeah, I did too. So anyway, yeah, I’ve been burned on this a couple times. You know what we’re talking about, right, Martha?

I think this is the shut-up that just means, oh, you’re full of it or something.

Yeah, the disbelieving shut-up like Elaine used to do on Seinfeld, right?

Exactly. Is that where you picked it up, Lisa?

Yeah.

Okay. Or The Princess Diaries with Anne Hathaway. There’s a clip that they played a million times when they were promoing this movie where she says, shut up! Like all four.

So it’s basically a way of saying, you know, I don’t believe you.

Yeah, like astonishment.

Okay. I don’t know what the kids are saying.

I don’t either. I thought that they were saying that. But you know what we could do just to mix it up? Maybe you should go even further back and get some archaic expressions.

Oh, I’m all over that.

Are you?

Yeah, that’s right in my childhood.

Well, one that I like, which I think is great, and you’ll see it in old movies, and I don’t think anybody uses it really anymore, maybe except with some irony, is get out or get out of town or get out of here.

Yeah.

How about this one? Do you remember, what you’re talking about, Willis?

Yeah, that one’s totally.

No, I don’t.

Yeah.

You never saw that?

No, who’s Willis?

What’s he talking about, Willis?

With Gary Coleman on the, what was that, Facts of Life or something?

I love that show.

Yeah, we say that all the time around the house, but I know that one’s going to be lost.

Yeah, yeah, that’s done. But believe it or not, using shut up as a form of disbelief, according to the New Partridge Dictionary of Slang, goes back to the 1960s.

Shut up!

Yeah, serious.

Wow. Another one which I like, well, it’s kind of like get out of here as a form of disbelief, is go on.

Yeah, I was thinking of that.

Oh, I like that.

Go on.

Well, I’m glad you’re excited about these, Lisa, because I think they all sound sort of pedestrian. I mean, I’m picturing them. Martha’s still using the slang of the 40s.

Well, I’ve got to tell you, though, inadvertently, you’ve resurrected the shut up for me. Knowing that it comes from the 1960s now, to me, that’s classic, baby.

Oh, I see. I’m sticking with my shut up.

That’s right. So go retro, Lisa.

Yeah.

Okay. I think no way actually still has a lot of legs, even though that’s something that I remember from my childhood in the 80s and the 90s.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, please.

Yeah.

Oh, please. So let’s just set this scenario up. You’re riding horses.

Well, most of this takes place when we’re getting the horses ready.

Okay, right. We’re hanging out. Putting on saddles, got the curry comb going, whatever, tightening straps. And the girls are talking about, yeah, and then he kissed me and you need something to say. And shut up is an expression of disbelief that they’re not getting. So you need to say, no way. And then they’ll go, way.

Yeah.

Do they still do that?

I don’t know.

Yes, we do. We do actually. No way is still reliable.

-huh.

Yeah. But it doesn’t work quite as well unless you get the response. You have to volley and then get the volley back.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Way.

Yeah, way.

Way.

Way, way.

Totes, totes way.

Excellent. Well, Lisa, I hope we’ve been some help. It sounds like you’ve got a good thing going there with the girls and a chance to kind of keep touch with your childhood.

Yeah, yeah.

They keep me young. Thank you guys so much.

Take care.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

If you’ve got something you want to share, do you want to keep touch with your roots? Do you want to find out what children are saying today? Give us a call. We don’t know either. Maybe you can tell us. 1-877-929-9673. That’s 1-877-WAYWORD.