# "Air quotes" are still quotes! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 5, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243 "2015-03-05T03:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/21 "2015-03-05T16:48:09Z")
I can’t recall air quotes being used non-judgementally with verbatim quotes. It’s always been used in some ironic or disagreeing fashion as I’ve ever seen or used it. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/22 "2015-03-05T16:55:51Z")
If I’m quoting something someone else said, I use “quote” to introduce the quote. If I’m being sarcastic, I use the quote gesture (symbolized here by two vertical lines). “And she said, quote, That asshole can go fuck himself.” “She’s so || nicey-nice || on the surface, but underneath, well, it’s a different story.” ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/23 "2015-03-05T16:56:59Z")
Quote: verb, to quote Quotation: noun, what is quoted Quotation marks: air bunnies Quote marks: just wrong ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/24 "2015-03-05T17:14:57Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > Quote: verb, to quote > Quotation: noun, what is quoted > Quotation marks: air bunnies > Quote marks: just wrong Citation? (Of course, “quote” also has the noun form, which can mean “quotation” or “quotation mark.”) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/25 "2015-03-05T17:47:08Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Bold, underline and all caps are fine. They’re all still for emphasis. But quotes are just “wrong”. By which I mean **WRONG**. > > Do some people really not see the difference? Our mileage is different? ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/26 "2015-03-05T17:58:11Z")
> **[What's the Difference Between the Words 'Quotation' and 'Quote'?](https://www.thoughtco.com/quotation-and-quote-1692775)** > > Learn the difference between the commonly confused words "quotation" and "quote" with definitions, examples, usage notes, and practice exercises. Must we simply learn to accept that we live among idiots who ruin the language? Must we go the way of “I could care less”? I think not; therefore, I am sticking with the classic view that quote is a verb, and quotation is the noun form. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/27 "2015-03-05T18:06:16Z")
Here’s a slight highjack on spoken quotes. Why do people use “quote unquote” together before a quote? He said quote unquote, “She came in through the bathroom window.” Shouldn’t it be: He said quote, “She came in through the bathroom window,” unquote." ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/28 "2015-03-05T18:13:21Z")
The idea of someone using air bunnies in this context is totally rediculous: “I know our business has hit a rough patch, but let’s remember the famous phrase, [wiggle fingers] “when the going gets tough, the tough get going!” [wiggle fingers again] Now let’s get on those phones and sell some real estate!” Or, "President Roosevelt enjoined the country in our darkest hours, [wiggle fingers] “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!”[wiggle fingers again] That’s just so weird. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/29 "2015-03-05T20:20:24Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > [Commonly Confused Words: Quotation and Quote](http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/quotationgloss.htm) > > Must we simply learn to accept that we live among idiots who ruin the language? Must we go the way of “I could care less”? > > I think not; therefore, I am sticking with the classic view that quote is a verb, and quotation is the noun form. Hell, if even the language conservative [William Safire](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/magazine/07wwln_safire.html) used it in its noun form, then it’s more than good enough for me. > [@William Safire](#): > > Note that quote within a quote; it means that the saying originated before that. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/30 "2015-03-05T20:52:15Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Here’s a slight highjack on spoken quotes. > > Why do people use “quote unquote” together before a quote? > > He said quote unquote, “She came in through the bathroom window.” > > Shouldn’t it be: > > He said quote, “She came in through the bathroom window,” unquote." Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. Sometimes after rather than before–He said, “She came in through the bathroom window,” quote unquote. I think it’s people who have heard it used properly (your last one), then don’t remember how to use it exactly but think it sounds smart, so they just work it in the sentence wherever it’s convenient. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/31 "2015-03-05T23:12:14Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > So everyone seems to think, but I’m just stubbornly refusing to accept this. To me, \*sarcasm \*is for sarcasm. As in, tone of voice, an eyeroll if you really need it, etc. It’s getting so people use the air quotes not even to sarcastically quote someone, but just to indicate sarcasm that isn’t a quote! Nononononono. Nuh uh. Not gonna do it. If it makes you feel better, I would \* understand\* your use of non-sarcastic air bunnies. I would probably think it a bit odd, but not confusing and certainly not worth calling it out or asking about it. Usually they’re done sarcastically, but the speaker’s voice will also sound sarcastic to go along with them. If you don’t sound sarcastic or anything, I’d dig your rap. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/32 "2015-03-05T23:19:49Z")
I wish they weren’t referred to as “scare quotes” so much. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/33 "2015-03-06T03:55:46Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. Sometimes after rather than before–He said, “She came in through the bathroom window,” quote unquote. I think it’s people who have heard it used properly (your last one), then don’t remember how to use it exactly but think it sounds smart, so they just work it in the sentence wherever it’s convenient. 🙂 The strange thing, though, is that it works just fine that way. It’s not like it’s ever unclear where the quoted part begins and ends. At least I can’t remember a case when it was unclear to me. Don’t ask me why, though, because if you try to do the same thing with punctuation, it’s a mess: He said, she came in through the bathroom window,“” See? Mess. Language is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/34 "2015-03-06T05:32:10Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I think the implication is that the pastor was quoting someone else’s sermon? And the implication is that he wasn’t being judgmental or sarcastic about it – just obscurely truthful. That joke is at least 40 years old, so it doesn’t prove anything about current use of the gesture. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/35 "2015-03-06T10:47:14Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > The strange thing, though, is that it works just fine that way. It’s not like it’s ever unclear where the quoted part begins and ends. At least I can’t remember a case when it was unclear to me. > > Don’t ask me why, though, because if you try to do the same thing with punctuation, it’s a mess: > > He said, she came in through the bathroom window,“” > > See? Mess. > > Language is weird. I agree, I don’t ever recall an instance where I wondered, “Wait, which part was the actual quote?” It’s just one of those really minor distractions where I direct my thoughts ever so slightly from whatever point is being made to thinking, “You just put quotation marks around nothing.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/36 "2015-03-06T10:58:28Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > If it makes you feel better, I would \* understand\* your use of non-sarcastic air bunnies. I would probably think it a bit odd, but not confusing and certainly not worth calling it out or asking about it. Usually they’re done sarcastically, but the speaker’s voice will also sound sarcastic to go along with them. If you don’t sound sarcastic or anything, I’d dig your rap. Right on, brother/sister. 🆒 BTW, I had never heard of them being called “air bunnies” until reading this thread. I have however heard the “scare quotes” thing a nauseating number of times (I’m with \*\*levdrakon \*\*on that). And speaking of that, I do actually think that giving up on non-sarcastic “air bunnies” can lead to a “first, they came for the Jews…” type deal. I have already seen evidence that some people are starting to interpret all \*written \*quotes as indicating sarcasm, or scorn. That way lies madness. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Here’s a slight highjack on spoken quotes. > > Why do people use “quote unquote” together before a quote? > > He said quote unquote, “She came in through the bathroom window.” > > Shouldn’t it be: > > He said quote, “She came in through the bathroom window,” unquote." Yeah, as I said upthread this drives me up the wall. It wouldn’t be so bad if the convention had evolved to be shortened in a simpler way: "He said, quote, ‘She came in through the bathroom window.’ " I could live with that. But the “unquote” is extraneous, illogical, and just sounds ridiculous, coming before the quote even starts. (It bothers me slightly less when both “quote” and “unquote” come after the quoted phrase, but I hear that far less frequently.) ETA: > [@Ravenman](#): > > The idea of someone using air bunnies in this context is totally rediculous: > > “I know our business has hit a rough patch, but let’s remember the famous phrase, [wiggle fingers] “when the going gets tough, the tough get going!” [wiggle fingers again] Now let’s get on those phones and sell some real estate!” > > Or, "President Roosevelt enjoined the country in our darkest hours, [wiggle fingers] “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!”[wiggle fingers again] > > That’s just so weird. That’s not really the context in my two cases, though. I don’t remember the exact conversation, but in each case I was quoting someone I had talked to. My point was to indicate that I was not paraphrasing this third person’s explanation, but providing their exact words, for the person I was talking to to interpret. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/37 "2015-03-06T11:52:26Z")
I’m with those who would have thought you were casting doubt on the quotes you were giving. If you weren’t I’d have expected you to either change your pitch (lowering it is common but any change of pitch helps) and/or use a signifier like “he said,” which would make quote marks superfluous if you’re then using first person verbs and the appropriate tenses. Or just say, “and I’m quoting here” if “quote” sounds too abrupt. It takes less than a second. > [@kopek](#): > > The _issue_ is that italics don’t show well on some sites leading people to quotes, **bold** and underlining. OR all caps on a stray word here and there. Whichever is fastest. Most people, on places like facebook or in the old days when messageboards often didn’t make formatting easy, use asterisks. It was _really_ good! They’re easy enough to write in handwriting so there’s no excuse for using speechmarks. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/38 "2015-03-06T12:44:00Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > That’s not really the context in my two cases, though. I don’t remember the exact conversation, but in each case I was quoting someone I had talked to. My point was to indicate that I was not paraphrasing this third person’s explanation, but providing their exact words, for the person I was talking to to interpret. So do you think it is weird to quote Roosevelt in that way? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/39 "2015-03-06T13:47:28Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > So do you think it is weird to quote Roosevelt in that way? Seems redundant if nothing else. People know those famous lines. Also, I just noticed your earlier snark included “[wiggles fingers again]” which is not how I did it. I just had the fingers up there for the (short) duration of the quote. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243/40 "2015-03-06T14:31:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I can’t recall air quotes being used non-judgementally with verbatim quotes. It’s always been used in some ironic or disagreeing fashion as I’ve ever seen or used it. This. I haven’t given this much thought and I’m not sure how I would have responded to the OP, but my first reaction is that if you’re quoting someone that you agree with, you just spit it out. “The contractor said that it’d be too much work to pull down all the drywall so he’s just going to patch it,” versus, “The contract said that it’d be \ Too much work \ to pull down all the drywall so he’s just going to patch it.” The implication of both sentences is clear. In the first, I’m just relaying the information. In the second, I’m distancing myself and/or passing judgement on the lazy contractor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-quotes-are-still-quotes/714243.md?page=3)