I'd Rather Be Tangential But I Think I Was On-Point

Colleague Tom Folsom reported that the "in" word at his SEALS (Southeastern Association of Law Schools) conference panels last week was orthogonal, as in, "That question is orthogonal to my presentation but I'll answer it anyway." My students (in America and India) regularly ask questions that are off-topic (at least off my topic) and I've thought of them as tangential or maybe peripheral but never orthogonal. A quick search of some dictionaries didn't disclose any metaphorical uses of orthogonal so I think I'll stick with the other choices.

I was pleased that my presentation on Section 56 of the Indian Contract Act didn't put anyone to sleep. Reducing 20 pages of text to a 15 minute talk proved useful. I think I can trim some fat and make the written version read better.