oblique
part of speech
adjective (oblique; more oblique); noun (an oblique — UK, the slash sign /)
meaning for a pupil
1) Oblique means slanting, not straight up and not flat; at an angle. tree →
2) (maths) An oblique line meets another line at an angle that is not a right angle. tree →
3) Oblique words say something in an indirect way, not plainly. tree →
4) (UK) An oblique is the slash sign /, as in «and/or». tree →
5) Oblique narration (also called reported speech) means telling what someone said in your own words, without repeating their exact words. tree →
sense in the lessons
In maths and geometry it describes lines and shapes that lean: an oblique line, an oblique prism or cone, an oblique angle (any angle that is not 90 or 180 degrees). In art and maps it describes a slanted view. In stories an oblique remark is a hint rather than a clear statement, so the reader must work out what is meant. Phrases: «at an oblique angle», «an oblique reference».
examples
- The sun's rays hit the ground at an oblique angle in winter. tree →
- Draw an oblique line from one corner of the square. tree →
- An oblique angle is either acute or obtuse. tree →
- The photo was taken from an oblique view above the town. tree →
- She made an oblique comment about people who are always late. tree →
- His answer was so oblique that nobody understood it. tree →
- The ladder leaned at an oblique angle against the wall. tree →
- Write the date as day oblique month in that box. tree →
- I have given him a name, and changed the narration into the oblique narration, and toned down the dialect. tree →
note
Pronounced «oh-BLEEK». Opposite of «perpendicular» or «straight». In maths an oblique angle is NOT a right angle; oblique lines are not parallel and not perpendicular. Adverb: obliquely. The slash meaning is mostly British.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «oblique» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.