Fear and Loathing in Quotations
A few days ago I was reading the Chicago Manual of Style. (That should be a question on a quiz entitled “How Big A Writer-Geek Are You?”) I ran across an entry that made me laugh. Do remember, dear friends, that I’m very easily amused.
You know when you quote something when what you really mean is “so-called”? As in: She was a “popular” girl, but I wouldn’t give her the time of day. It’s a way of saying, “You might say that, but I couldn’t possibly comment.”
Well, that thing, which I always thought was just bad punctuation, has a name. And I love it. “Scare quotes.”
Quotation marks are often used to alert readers that a term is used in a nonstandard (or slang), ironic, or other special sense. Nicknamed scare quotes, they imply, “This is not my term” or “This is not how the term is usually applied.” Like any such device, scare quotes lose their force and irritate readers if overused. – Chicago Manual of Style Online
I think it suits my mood of late to know that if I feel like being snarky, the CMoS has me covered.
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Love it!
[ Follow me on Twitter: rinsimpson ]
Scare quotes? Oh, that’s perfect! I can’t wait until the next time I use them, now I know their name…
[ Follow me on Twitter: katheastman ]
Hey India,
Now that you’ve made this discovery, let me introduce you to a website I know you’ll love:
The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks
Only grammar nerds (like me, and now you) seem to find this stuff funny
Go ahead – scare me!
[ Follow me on Twitter: alexjcavanaugh ]
The petrified quotes! How scary!
LOL!!!!
Take care
x