Scare quotes
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In journalism, scare quotes are quotation marks used for purposes other than to identify a direct quotation, such as for emphasis or irony.
In this literary strategy, the effect of using scare quotes often is similar to inserting so-called to modify a word. Among the objectives of this strategy may be to express disagreement with the word(s), but only by calling attention to the word(s) without actually explaining why the author disagrees with it. For this reason, scare quotes are sometimes called "sneer quotes". In many cases, the scare quotes may be omitted without loss. Such placements of quotation marks may also be used by the writer to achieve various other objectives, however. An author who uses quotation marks in such a manner may do so in order to disclaim responsibility for the words, or to emphasize that a specialized, narrowed or historical sense of the quoted material is being suggested.
A related concept is apologetic quotes or apologetic quotation marks.
The spoken equivalent of scare quotes or apologetic quotes are known as air quotes or finger quotes.
Example
A very normal quotation might be:- Harry was riding his bicycle, not out with the girl next door.
- Harry was "riding his bicycle", not out with the girl next door.
- Harry was riding his bicycle, not out with the "girl next door".
- Harry was riding his bicyle, not "out" with the girl next door.
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