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scare quotes
plural noun
- a pair of quotation marks used around a term or phrase to indicate that the writer does not think it is being used appropriately or that the writer is using it in a specialized sense: Compare air quotes.
a “huge breakthrough” in the negotiations.
scare quotes
plural noun
- quotation marks placed around a word or phrase to indicate that it should not be taken literally or automatically accepted as true
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Word History and Origins
Origin of scare quotes1
First recorded in 1955–60
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Example Sentences
“Cultures” Versus “White Girls” As you can probably sense from my scare quotes, you can never be too careful these days.
From The Daily Beast
Keep the scare quotes around gay “marriage,” or at least put an asterisk after it.
From The Daily Beast
The first author responded by calling the second “a journalist” (in scare quotes).
From The Daily Beast
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