For example, when explaining how the membrane potential of nerve cells change during local and action potentials, I liken the concept to a "battle". The membrane permeability to a particular ion is the "voice" of the ion in this "power struggle", while the electrochemical gradient is the "degree of unhappiness". For an ion to be "happy" the electric gradient must be equal and opposite that of its concentration gradient, so that the net flow of ions across the membrane is equal. The ebb and flow of the membrane charge is a carefully maintained balance, with the leader in the war changing depending on when it "finds its voice" to be able to convey it's "unhappiness" and shift the tide of the "struggle".
It seems that air quotes not only put things in another contexts to give people that not-so-nice-uneasy feeling that I'm not actually their "friend", but they also draw from someone's past knowledge to transpose an abstract concept into a more familiar one.
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