i understand that when you verbally say "quote unquote", you are stating what the source stated verbatim. but then, when people make this finger gesture (making this quotation marks in the air) it seems to mean something else.
my friend said it is to emphasize certain words in your statement. I said it's to show that you dont really mean that particular word in your sentence : for example - i think she is really "beautiful" means she is not.
can't find this anywhere in the net. can someone clarify this to me?
2006-09-03 00:34:22 · 13 answers · asked by Russ Bear 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
my friend is a lawyer so i told him to stop using that gesture until we find out what it really means. otherwise, he might get into trouble : P
2006-09-03 00:50:32 · update #1
They're called 'air quotes', and according to Wiki - Air quotes are often used to express satire, sarcasm, irony or euphemism.
2006-09-03 00:40:39 · answer #1 · answered by solstice 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Gesture Quotes
2016-12-18 09:20:43 · answer #2 · answered by georgene 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many people do that rather than say " quote" ..... then "unquote" The two fingers of both hands raised at each side just indicates he is refering to a quote said by someone else. I normally refer to the person who said the quote.
2006-09-04 00:06:11 · answer #3 · answered by VelvetRose 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think "the finger gesture" is the same as placing quotes around a phrase or word in writing. I know that some people find this practice very annoying.
2006-09-03 04:28:33 · answer #4 · answered by David S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the "fingers" gesture is used for quote-unquote, without so much as saying anything that it is a physical gesture for THAT symbol, it could come across in two terms:
First, the person is trying to scare you (without saying "BOOOOO!").
Second, he's sending a non-verbal message that he wants to claw your eyes out.
2006-09-03 01:14:08 · answer #5 · answered by Bummerang 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you make the finger gesture then that means you are quoting the person who said that. So that now means that you mean it and not something else.
2006-09-03 00:41:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you say quote unquote, it means you are saying the exact words of someone. no changes. wen you use the finger desture, it is used more like sarcasm when you are talking. "yea, he thinks that she is 'pretty'"it doesn't mean she is not, but it is like you want to emphasise the word more, so you give it quotations, like 'he used the word pretty' type of quotations. sometimes it is used as sarcasm though.
2006-09-03 00:39:42 · answer #7 · answered by HELP! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No i don't. i've got used it approximately two times interior the final ten years or perhaps then i detect that two times too many. i honestly locate the gesture creepy and stale-putting. And no, i don't be responsive to every physique who makes use of it lots the two.
2016-10-01 06:16:09 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might want to read this
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/quote.html
To me, quote unquote, when I use it, always meant that this is the common perception (or what someone else thought). I may hold a different opinion!
2006-09-03 00:42:11 · answer #9 · answered by Neil 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sarcastic tone of voice when you make the hand signal is usually the best indicator that you don't really mean it. Whenever someone does the hand signal to me, I say "ahh! the little bunnies are attacking!"
2006-09-03 00:40:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋