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A harpsichord with the strings set at an angle to the keyboard (usually of about 30 degrees) is called a spinet. In such an instrument, the strings are too close to fit the jacks between them in the normal way; instead, the strings are arranged in pairs, the jacks are placed in the large gaps between pairs, and they face in opposite directions, plucking the strings adjacent to the gap. Full artice/pictures http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinet
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While "spinet" does indeed define one type of harpsichord, the term has more recently been primarily associated with pianos. Spinets are the smallest vertically-strung (upright) pianos, usually measuring 36 to 38 inches in height, and about 58 inches wide, with a "drop-action" rather than the "direct" actions found in the taller "console" and "studio" uprights. Spinet pianos, because of their smaller frames and soundboards, do not possess the richness and fullness of tone (sonority) found in their larger counterparts, nor the responsiveness of a "direct" action.
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