air quote

English

The air quotes gesture

A single-handed air quote

Noun

air quote (plural air quotes) (usually in the plural)

1. A typically two-handed gesture resembling quotation marks.

   Synonym: finger quote

   • 2020, Ben Aaronovitch, False Value, Gollancz, page 11:

     You could hear the air quotes around ‘chill’ when he said it.

2. (by extension) An emphatic tone of voice used to indicate a euphemism, or displeasure with a false or inaccurate phrase being quoted.

   "So you were out with 'the boys'," she said vexedly, putting air quotes around the last two words.

Translations

hand gesture

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 引號手勢／引号手势 (yǐnhào shǒushì)

• Danish: ^{(please verify)} citationstegn
• Finnish: ilmalainausmerkki
• French: guillemets ironiques m pl
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hermetegn n or n pl

• Portuguese: aspas no ar f pl
• Spanish: entre comillas, entre comillas con los dedos, comillas aéreas f pl, comillas dactilares f pl

See also

• quote unquote
• Appendix:Gestures/air quotes