oblique
adj 1: slanting or inclined in direction or course or
position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor
right-angular; "the oblique rays of the winter sun";
"acute and obtuse angles are oblique angles"; "the
axis of an oblique cone is not perpendicular to its
base" [ant: {parallel}, {perpendicular}]
2: descended from a common ancestor but through different
lines; "cousins are collateral relatives"; "an indirect
descendant of the Stuarts" [syn: {collateral}, {indirect}]
[ant: {lineal}]
3: departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading; "used
devious means to achieve success"; "gave oblique answers
to direct questions"; "oblique political maneuvers" [syn:
{devious}]
4: used of movement; at an angle [syn: {crabwise}, {sideways}]
n : any grammatical case other than the nominative [syn: {oblique
case}] [ant: {nominative}]