A WORD A DAY.
OBLIQUE. Thai is oblique which diverges from a straight fine, having a slanting position. It is also used figuratively to denote an underhand, or obscure, or not straightforward method or manner. That which deviates from the direct course may be called oblique, although such words as circuitous, tortuous, devious and crooked also indicate the opposite of directness, each with an individual suggestion. In the fields of engineering, anatomy, astronomy and the like, oblique has definite specialized meanings, closely related, however, to the general meaning. It is a French word taken from the Latin obliquus, signifying not erect. There is much discussion as to the proper English pronunciation, but the leading authorities prefer to give the second syllable the sound Of “leek” rather than of “like.” This syllable is accented, oblique’. Sound the o as in connect. ique as eek “His mind seems to run along oblique lines.”
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Bibliographic details
Southland Times, Issue 21649, 10 March 1932, Page 8
Word Count
151A WORD A DAY. Southland Times, Issue 21649, 10 March 1932, Page 8
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