schräge

Schräge is a German noun (the feminine die Schräge) meaning slant, slope, or obliquity. It derives from the adjective schräg, meaning slanted or oblique, and is used to refer to a surface, edge, or direction that is inclined rather than vertical or horizontal. The term appears across everyday language and technical vocabularies to describe inclined features or attitudes.

In everyday and technical usage, Schräge describes a variety of inclined features. For example, the Schräge of a roof denotes its slope; a ramp or inclined plane may be described as a Schräge; in geometry or engineering, Schräge Fläche or Schräge Ebene denotes an oblique surface or plane. The word also appears in architectural and construction contexts to discuss non-vertical elements.

Historically, the compound Schräge Musik has a specific and well-known meaning. It describes the upward-firing armament arrangement used by German night fighters in World War II. Cannons were mounted at an angle to fire at bomber aircraft from below, exploiting the vulnerable underbody of the targets. The term emphasizes the diagonal orientation of the weapons and has become prominent in historical accounts of Luftwaffe tactics.

In contemporary German, Schräge remains a general descriptor for obliquity and continues to appear in technical language related to architecture, engineering, and other fields, as well as in metaphorical uses to describe something off-kilter or unconventional.