Unrude Use of “Shut Up!”

Via ObscureStore, apparently the “unrude use of ‘Shut up’” is catching on:

Not too many years ago, the unrude use of "Shut up!" might have baffled linguists and just about everybody else. But the term has now made its way from schoolgirl chatter to adult repartee and into movies and advertising. People use it as much to express disbelief, shock and joy as to demand silence. In some circles, it has become the preferred way to say "Oh my God!" "Get out of town!" and "No way!" all at once.

A recent ad for Hyundai's Elantra shows a young woman sparring with a dealer. "Shut up!" screams the woman, who pokes the man in the chest each time he points out a feature that sounds too good to be true.

Editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary are considering a new entry for "Shut up!" in the next edition. "I think we should add it because it appears to be widespread," says senior editor Erin McKean. Already, she has mulled possible definitions: "used to express amazement or disbelief" and "oh, so true!" […]

The pop-culture rise of “Shut up!” is amusing in itself, but I think I’m even more amused by the linguists’ phrase “unrude use of ‘Shut up!’” ;).