Scare quotes

Scare quotes are quotation marks (") used around words or phrases to show that they are being used in an unusual way. For example, if someone says, "I have a 'good' reason not to go," it means that the person doesn't really consider it a good reason at all - they are using the word "good" in a sarcastic way. You can use scare quotes to show that you're using a word in a funny or strange way and it won't really be taken seriously.