Give me my guillemets pls.

May 29, 2010 1:23 PM

Is there an HTML code for a downwards/upwards pointing guillemet?

OK, fussy HTML typography question. I'm a big fan of guillemets, i.e. these:

« »

I know the HTML codes for them, but what I want is the same little double arrows pointing up and down (like a double chevron), i.e. those guys tipped over on their sides. Is there a dingbat or an HTML code anywhere that will create them?

posted by media_itoku to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

You could rotate with CSS in webkit or gecko with (-moz|-webkit)-transform: rotate(90deg) (or -90)...you can probably do it with a filter in IE as well.
posted by gregjones at 1:42 PM on May 29, 2010

Unicode provides a few obscure angle bracket sets (hope these work):

«»
xFE3D;xFE3E;x300A;x300B;
xFE3F;xFE40;x3008;x3009;
x2A53;x2A54;x2AA1;x2AA2;

I'd probably go with a CSS transform, too, though.
posted by cowbellemoo at 2:13 PM on May 29, 2010

Damn you, matthowie, and your stringent validation scheme, too! This link will show the sets above.
posted by cowbellemoo at 2:16 PM on May 29, 2010

Testing to see if copypasting from cowbellemoo's link works: ︽ ︾
posted by Kattullus at 2:49 PM on May 29, 2010

The thing you want to look at is Unicode (the HTML entities are just a convenient way to get arbitrary Unicode characters into your text).

The FE3x characters are actually the presentation forms for left/right double angle brackets when writing vertically (they're in a CJK compatibility area), so they sound like what you want. The 2Axx symbols are mathematical symbols (double logical and / or).
posted by hattifattener at 3:40 PM on May 29, 2010

And you don’t need “an HTML code”; just use the characters, although if you’re using them as arrows you’re misusing their semantics.
posted by joeclark at 1:44 PM on May 30, 2010