scare quote
nounEtymology Coined by British analytic philosopher G. E. M. Anscombe in 1956 in her essay “Aristotle and the Sea Battle”. Originally spelt with a hyphen.
1
In plural 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.
- One other important figure in postmodern thought is Richard Rorty, who might be characterized as master of the scare quote2001 January 1, “The Retreat From Inquiry and Knowledge in Special Education.”, in Journal of Special Education:
- He is inordinately fond of the scare quote, a sign that he is not really sure of what he's talking about.2004, P Timms, What's Wrong with Contemporary Art?:
2 more examples
- An incidental pleasure is his witty mastery of the scare quote and the square bracket.2006 September 6, “Where Hairsplitting Can Become High Drama”, in New York Sun:
- 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 person2008, D Jeske, “Friendship and the grounds of reasons”, in papyrus.bib.umontreal.ca:
- Related terms
- apologetic apostrophe