Definition
Emphasizes the following (or sometimes preceding) word or phrase for irony, or marks it as not the normal sense of the term.
Origins
From quote + unquote, a spoken equivalent of air quotes, used to express satire, sarcasm, irony or euphemism, analogous to scare quotes in print.
In Context
- "Maybe you should ask your quote unquote friend what happened to the money."
- "`We're a young quote-unquote club. [...] In time, it will become a club.'"
- "“Brandishing weapons and leaning into gun culture is viewed as revolutionary, and by revolutionary I mean, in their minds, the most virtuous sense, as defenders of quote unquote America,” he says."
- "As a performer, [Sydney] Sweeney is best when she’s given a challenge. Asked to play a quote-unquote normal girl in, say, the rom-com “Anyone but You” (2023), one of her biggest box office triumphs to date, she falls flat."
Also Said As
- so-called
- supposed