quote-unquote

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interjection

an expression used before or part before and part after a quotation to identify it as such, and sometimes to dissociate the writer or speaker from it

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use quote-unquote in a sentence

That to me felt like a moment where she really needed to put on her “Olivia Pope,” quote unquote, identity.
Kerry Washington’s Favorite ‘Scandal’ Season 3 Moments|Kerry Washington|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A trove of Bush-era emails that had been quote-unquote-lost resurfaced in 2009, the victim of an ostensible act of mislabeling.
Paging Rose Mary Woods: Obama’s Unbelievable Missing IRS Emails|James Poulos|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The risk of claiming that a series has jumped the shark, quote-unquote, is that you could be jumping the gun.
‘Still Positive’ Shows Why ‘Homeland’ Hasn’t Jumped the Shark (Yet)|Andrew Romano|November 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To have your lifeline and your family be your quote unquote day job—you can do a movie and then hop right back.
Matt Damon and John Krasinski Talk About Their Bromance, ‘Promised Land,’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Cain accused Rove of mounting “a deliberate attempt to damage me because I am not, quote unquote, the establishment choice.”
'Tired' Cain Campaign Slows Down|Howard Kurtz|October 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST