comma
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comma counter
informal Someone who is fastidious to the point of excess, especially when editing writing. The managing editor is such a comma counter—it's so aggravating! Instead of giving meaningful criticism to help us write better, she just nitpicks us to death about obscure grammar rules.
in inverted commas
Used to indicate that something one just said is untruthful, ironic, or disingenuous. ("Inverted commas" is another term for quotation marks, chiefly used in British English.) We were "taught," in inverted commas, by the teaching assistant, but we did most of our learning independently.
See also: comma
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in inverted commas
BRITISH, SPOKENCOMMON If you say in inverted commas after or before a word or phrase, you are drawing attention to the word, and showing that it is not an accurate way to describe the situation you are referring to. So, in what sense do you see the students as disadvantaged, in inverted commas? I think that the assumptions of some people were that we would take democratic decisions, well, democratic in inverted commas. Compare with quote, unquote.
See also: comma
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
in inverted ˈcommas
(spoken) used to show that you think a particular word, description, etc. is not true or appropriate: The manager showed us to our ‘luxury apartment’, in inverted commas. Inverted commas are another name for quotation marks (‘ ’) or (“ ”).
See also: comma
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
comma-counter
n. a pedantic person; a pedantic copy editor. When you need a proofreader, you need a comma-counter.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.