All 3 Uses
askew
in
Washington Black
(Auto-generated)
- Titch shoved his way between us, his necktie askew, his hat in his hand as he gestured angrily down at me.†
p. 147.1 *askew = not straight; or not right
- Someone had flung a strange iron contraption on the porch, its front wheel tilted askew.†
p. 232.7
- For though I had used all my might, the angle had been awkward, my purchase on the knife askew.†
p. 282.9
Definitions:
-
(1)
(askew) not straight (not in proper alignment)
or:
(when used figuratively) not right, or not as planned -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Less commonly, askew is used in the idiom, looked at me askew. It means looked at in a puzzled manner. You could think of it as someone tilting their head to see the person from a different angle.
Rarely, Askew can also refer to someone's first name.