TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

SCARE QUOTES [1 record]

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Record 1 2022-11-09

English

Subject field(s)
  • Language
CONT

Scare quotes are quotation marks placed around a word or phrase from which you, the writer, wish to distance yourself because you consider that word or phrase to be odd or inappropriate for some reason. Possibly you regard it as too colloquial for formal writing; possibly you think it's unfamiliar or mysterious; possibly you consider it to be inaccurate or misleading; possibly you believe it's just plain wrong. Quite often scare quotes are used to express irony or sarcasm.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Linguistique
CONT

[Par l'emploi de] guillemets de mise à distance[,] le rédacteur signale une expression ou un mot dont il veut se distancier et, par conséquent, amène le lecteur à y porter attention.

Spanish

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© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

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