Question

interrobang noun Most punctuation marks have been around for centuries, but not the interrobang: it's a product of the 1960s. The mark gets its name from the punctuation that it is intended to combine. "Interro" is from "interrogation point," the technical name for the question mark, and "bang" is printers' slang for the exclamation point. The interrobang is not commonly used-its absence from standard keyboards can explain its paucity in print perhaps just as well as its paucity in print can explain its absence from standard keyboards. Most writers who want to communicate what the interrobang communicates continue to do as they did before the advent of the mark, throwing in !? or ?! as they feel so moved. : a punctuation mark ‽ designed for use especially at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question

Accepted Answer

September 26, 2012 in-TAIR-uh-bang The essay was peppered with interrobangs and exclamation points, communicating-intentionally or not-an incredulity and outrage that didn't feel very hospitable.   "Inevitably, however, you'll cheat on the Period with the Ampersand, Semi-Colon, or possibly the Interrobang." - From an article by Jen Doll in the Atlantic Wire, August 21, 2012

Word	interrobang
Date	September 26, 2012
Type	noun
Syllables	in-TAIR-uh-bang
Etymology	Most punctuation marks have been around for centuries, but not the interrobang: it's a product of the 1960s. The mark gets its name from the punctuation that it is intended to combine. "Interro" is from "interrogation point," the technical name for the question mark, and "bang" is printers' slang for the exclamation point. The interrobang is not commonly used-its absence from standard keyboards can explain its paucity in print perhaps just as well as its paucity in print can explain its absence from standard keyboards. Most writers who want to communicate what the interrobang communicates continue to do as they did before the advent of the mark, throwing in !? or ?! as they feel so moved.
Examples	The essay was peppered with interrobangs and exclamation points, communicating-intentionally or not-an incredulity and outrage that didn't feel very hospitable. "Inevitably, however, you'll cheat on the Period with the Ampersand, Semi-Colon, or possibly the Interrobang." - From an article by Jen Doll in the Atlantic Wire, August 21, 2012
Definition	: a punctuation mark ‽ designed for use especially at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question

Interrobang Punctuation Mark Question Exclamation Absence Standard Explain