Jack Applin sends this in: “Aslant? In what way is Edda aslant? (aslant: in a slanting direction : obliquely) She is absolutely upright. This being 9 Chickweed Lane, the answer involves sex. Panels 5 and 6 focus on her middle region, as does his eyeline. She hasn’t cocked her hip. Are her lady parts somehow aslant, and revealed by her short dress? Also–her mother?”
Well, the top of her dress’s profile is a slanted line, with an interesting angle. Other than that, well, McEldowney’s work does lean toward the sexual angle.
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Biologically speaking, women’s breasts are often of a slightly uneven size. Is that what she’s referring to when she says ‘aslant like (her) mum’? If that is the case, the fact the her husband (?) could reliably make that comparison is a bit creepy.
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I think she’s literally asking if she stands at a slight tilt, presumably due to one leg being a little longer than the other. It’s common enough and renders “like my mom” non-weird. The sex connection is just that she enjoys being ogled by her husband, which is what passes for a punchline pretty often in 9 Chickweed Lane.
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I think Stan has it @2. That interpretation seems most in line with typical 9CL. As for the mother thing, these two have known each other since they were children, and Amos had something of a crush on Edda’s mother before Edda filled out.
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I like Andrew Millar’s interpretation and matches my initial thoughts.
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I would add that the matter is not clear to Amos, either – see the last panel. If Amos can’t tell whether she’s “aslant,” we shouldn’t be surprised if we can’t tell either.
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I’m always hesitant to read 9CL, because who knows when I might be subpoenaed for just for that. Here, it’s not really a matter of what we’re supposed to think, as what we’re never supposed to think, with minimal illustration.
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There are aslant curves in math. The preferred term is asymptote curves. She is just asking Amos if she has curves like her mother.
The weird part is earlier in the life of the comic strip younger Amos had a huge crush on her mother.
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I agree with Stan, hence the “further study” will involve a close examination of the items in question without any coverings to interfer.
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