scare quotes

American  

plural noun

1. 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.

   a “huge breakthrough” in the negotiations.

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scare quotes British  

plural noun

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of scare quotes

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The scare quotes only hint at how overwrought these discussions can become among obsessives and stans.

From Los Angeles Times

Jackie is now a manifestation of Shauna’s guilt and the two “talk” frequently — scare quotes necessary — a fact that rightly weirds out her teammates.

From New York Times

I used various forms of magical thinking, persuading myself that my own version of those bad tweets contained implied scare quotes or subtle irony that distinguished them.

From New York Times

Those scare quotes indicate a whiff of skepticism that the author, if she were being less loyally polite toward her former student, might have expanded on.

From New York Times

His paper is rife with scare quotes and clauses layered in baklava-like profusion.

From New York Times