Meaning of scare quote | Babel Free

Definitions

A quotation mark deliberately used to provoke a reaction or to indicate that the author does not approve of a term or clause, rather than to identify a direct quotation.

in-plural

Equivalents

Examples

“One other important figure⟳ in postmodern thought is Richard Rorty, who might be characterized as master of the scare⟳ quote”

“He is inordinately fond of the scare⟳ quote, a sign⟳ that he is not really sure of what he's talking about.”

“An incidental pleasure is his witty mastery of the scare⟳ quote and the square bracket.”

“I put⟳ the relevant pronouns in scare⟳ quote because Bundy’s interviewers succeeded in getting Bundy to talk⟳ about his crimes only by allowing him to describe⟳ them in the third person”

CEFR level