# angle

Pronunciation: US say "AYNG-guhl" /ˈeɪŋ.ɡəl/; UK

## Noun

1. The space between two lines meeting at a point, or between two surfaces meeting along a line, or the figure they form, usually measured in degrees.
   - Simple: The space between two lines that meet, measured in degrees.
   - _The ladder makes an angle of about seventy-five degrees with the ground._
   - _Surveyors measure angles precisely when mapping property boundaries._
2. A particular way of looking at or approaching a matter, such as the aspect a news story chooses to emphasize.
   - Simple: A way of looking at or thinking about something, or the part of a story someone chooses to focus on.
   - _Her background in finance gave her a useful angle on the merger talks._
   - _From a historical angle, the treaty looks far less generous._
5. A corner or sharp projecting point where two edges, lines, or walls meet; also, a fragment with sharp edges.
   - Simple: A corner or sharp point where two edges or walls meet.
   - _Her sleeve caught on a sharp angle of the iron gate._
   - _Snow piled up in the angle between the porch and the house._
6. An ulterior motive; a hidden and often dishonest scheme for benefiting from a situation. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A hidden plan to get something for yourself, often in an unfair way.
   - _Everyone wondered what angle the consultant was working when he waived his entire fee._
   - _His angle was to pose as a charity collector and pocket the donations._
9. A change in direction, as where a line, road, or course bends.
   - Simple: A turn or bend where something changes direction.
   - _The trail follows the creek before making an abrupt angle toward the ridge._
   - _Each angle in the pipe slows the water flowing through it._

## Verb

3. To place, point, or turn something so it is slanted rather than straight, or to move or run in a slanting or diagonal direction.
   - Simple: To put or point something at a slant, or to move in a slanting direction.
   - _The photographer angled the lights to soften the shadows on the model's face._
   - _Angle the antenna toward the city for a stronger signal._
4. To fish by means of a hook attached to a line.
   - Simple: To fish with a line that has a hook on the end.
   - _He angles for bass from the same dock every Saturday morning._
   - _Visitors may angle in the stocked pond for a small fee._
7. To attempt to obtain something from someone through subtle hints rather than a direct request. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To try to make someone offer you something without asking for it directly.
   - _Coworkers noticed how he angled for the corner office all spring._
   - _Politicians angle for endorsements months before declaring their candidacy._
8. To shape an account or argument so that it favors a particular point of view. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To tell or present something in a way that helps one side or one idea.
   - _The press release angles the layoffs as a bold new restructuring plan._
   - _Campaign staffers angle every announcement to flatter the candidate._

## Noun

10. A fishhook, or the tackle for catching fish: line, hook, and bait, with or without a rod. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A hook and line used for catching fish.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In professional wrestling, a scripted storyline between two wrestlers that provides the background for and shapes their feud.
- (noun) Any of the four cardinal points of an astrological chart.
- (verb) In billiards and pool, to hamper oneself or an opponent by leaving the cue ball in the jaws of a pocket, so that the pocket's surround blocks the path to the object ball.
- (noun) Any of various butterflies of the skipper family Hesperiidae.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5–6, 9** — From Middle English 'angle', borrowed via Middle French 'angle' from Latin 'angulus' ('corner, remote area'). It is a doublet of 'ankle'.
**Meanings 3, 8** — This verb was made from the noun angle. In Middle English it was anglen, meaning "to meet at an angle, converge."
**Meaning 10** — From Middle English 'angel' ('fishhook'), from Old English 'angel' ('hook, fishhook'), going back through Proto-Germanic *angulaz ('hook') to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂enk- ('to make crooked, bend'). It is related to Dutch 'angel' and German 'Angel'.
**Meanings 4, 7** — Middle English anglen ("to fish with a hook") perhaps came from an Old English *anglian, which goes back to Proto-West Germanic *anglōn ("to hook"). Dutch hengelen and German angeln, both meaning "to fish, angle," are related.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/angle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).