Scare Quotes

NOTICE THE TWO HEAVILY DRAMATIZED "ENCLOSURE TALONS" SURROUNDING THAT WORD, WHICH I AM SCORNFULLY PANTOMIMING WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS, AS PRESENTLY BEING DEMONSTRATED FOR YOU.

—Karkat Vantas, Homestuck, Act 6, Intermission 2.

A form of "Sarcasm Mode" whereby a writer encloses a term in quotation marks.

The aim is typically to make it clear that the term is one the writer would not typically use, and that he is, "for that term", speaking with a voice which is not his own.

The typical implication is that the term is some manner of "euphemism" that the writer finds "obnoxious", but uses anyway because it is widely understood.

It can also be used to disparage a particular claim. If a work or person claims to be something, a person would put that in Sneer Quotes to suggest, without explicitly stating it, "This is what he says he is but he is really not."

May or may not be used in conjunction with "Inappropriate Capitalization", which makes a general concept sound like a "Trademarked Product".