air quotes
plural noun
a gesture in which two fingers of each hand draw quotation marks in the air, used when uttering a word or phrase one does not think is appropriate or accurate.: Compare scare quotes.
Origin of air quotes
1First recorded in 1985–90
- Also called finger quotes.
Words Nearby air quotes
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use air quotes in a sentence
You supply the air quotes to go around researching and industrial.
PJ’s Political Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatheads | P. J. O’Rourke | March 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut he feels they go too far in their sensitivity to perceived racism and sexism on-air quotes.
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