This is perhaps tangential to your point or pedantic, but “want” was not always merely synonymous for “desire” in English. “Desire” implies something with conscious awareness of a lack wishing to have that lack redressed. “Want” can mean simply the lack without the consciousness of it: e.g. “this watch wants a seconds hand”, or “as he wanted education, his wits were poor.” This way of using the word seems to have been dropping off in recent decades, but may explain some of the examples you have seen.
Very true and I could be one of those that misses such a distinction at times (I think I have on this very site). However, the cases I was thinking of are not like that and in such a case the quotes would never be used, unless one was actually quoting.
This is perhaps tangential to your point or pedantic, but “want” was not always merely synonymous for “desire” in English. “Desire” implies something with conscious awareness of a lack wishing to have that lack redressed. “Want” can mean simply the lack without the consciousness of it: e.g. “this watch wants a seconds hand”, or “as he wanted education, his wits were poor.” This way of using the word seems to have been dropping off in recent decades, but may explain some of the examples you have seen.
Very true and I could be one of those that misses such a distinction at times (I think I have on this very site). However, the cases I was thinking of are not like that and in such a case the quotes would never be used, unless one was actually quoting.