If something is skew-whiff, it is not straight. A picture hanging skew-whiff; a hat sat skew-whiff on someone’s head.

If something is skew-whiff如果某個東西是skew-whiff，it is not straight意思就是它歪了、不直。A picture hanging skew-whiff一幅掛得歪歪的畫；a hat sat skew-whiff on someone's head一頂歪歪戴在某人頭上的帽子。

It is informal British English — kitchen talk, family talk — not a word American textbooks will spend time on. In the US people more often say crooked, lopsided, or wonky.

It is informal British English這是英式口語——kitchen talk, family talk就是廚房裡、家人之間講的那種話——not a word American textbooks will spend time on不是美國課本會花時間教的字。In the US在美國，people more often say crooked, lopsided, or wonky大家比較常說crooked、lopsided或wonky。

You can put it before a noun or after a verb: “a skew-whiff sign,” “it was hanging skew-whiff.” People also stretch it to plans and stories that feel off, not only to things you can see.

You can put it before a noun or after a verb你可以把它放在名詞前面，或動詞後面：“a skew-whiff sign,”「a skew-whiff sign」歪掉的招牌，“it was hanging skew-whiff.”「it was hanging skew-whiff」掛得歪歪的。People also stretch it to plans and stories that feel off大家也把它延伸用在感覺不對勁的計畫或故事上，not only to things you can see不只是用在看得見的東西上。

Though actually, the second half is not whiff as in a smell or a puff of air, even though the spelling invites that idea. Hand-loom weavers in the north of England used to say skew weft when the cross-threads of the cloth were out of line. The spoken form drifted toward “wift” and then “whiff,” and the spelling followed the sound.

Though actually不過，the second half is not whiff as in a smell or a puff of air後半段的whiff並不是「一股氣味」或「一陣風」的那個whiff，even though the spelling invites that idea雖然拼法會讓人這麼聯想。Hand-loom weavers in the north of England英格蘭北部用手織布機的織工，used to say skew weft以前會說skew weft，when the cross-threads of the cloth were out of line指的是布料的橫線織歪了的時候。The spoken form drifted toward口說的形式漸漸從 "wift" and then "whiff,"「wift」變成「whiff」，and the spelling followed the sound拼法就跟著發音走了。