Quotation Marks for a Spoken Phrase Used as an Adjective
The Quotation Mark
Rulebase Summary
When the adjective in front of a noun is something someone might say in a conversation — a phrase used as an adjective — use quotation marks to surround it instead of hyphenating it. This is common in casual testimony.
Examples
A. She had this I-don't-care-what-you-think attitude.
A. She had this "I don't care what you think" attitude.
Conversational phrase as adjective — use quotes, not hyphens.
A. He gave me a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
A. He gave me a "take it or leave it" offer.
Spoken phrase modifying the noun — quotation marks preferred.
Transcript Notes
Quotation marks tend to be less bulky than hyphens for these spoken-phrase adjectives. While hyphenating the combination is not incorrect, the longer the phrase, the more unwieldy the hyphens become.
Style Guide References (1)
BGGP