scare quotes
noun/ˈskeə kwəʊts/
/ˈsker kwəʊts/
[plural]- quotation marks that a writer puts around a word or phrase to show that it is used in an unusual way, usually one that the writer does not agree with
- This pronouncement came from the organization’s ‘scientific’ committee (the scare quotes are mine).
- The journal doesn’t use the word ‘terrorist’, at least not without scare quotes.
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scare quotes