Word of the Day Archive Thursday December 25, 2008  oblique \oh-
BLEEK\ , noun: 1. something oblique, such as a line or figure
1. in military use, by turning 45 degrees  1. not straight up
and down or across; slanting  1. a muscle attached at an oblique
angle to the structure that it controls  1. having unequal
sides; situated obliquely instead of transverse or longitudinal
2. not straightforward; indirect  Both novels were direct and
oblique, not mentioning 9/11 but addressing the question of how
you retain your humanity after the unthinkable has entered your
life. -- Charles Taylor, New York Times, 11/21/2008  Theodor
Geisel's response to Hitler was more oblique than
Stauffenberg's, but as effective. Yertle, king of the pond,
commands all the turtles to stack themselves up so he can be top
of the heap. Someone's riding for a fall. -- Telegraph.co.uk,
1/19/2008  by 1425, from Middle French oblique, from Latin
obliquus "slanting, sidelong, indirect," from ob "against" +
root of licinus "bent upward," from Pro