Compact ultrasonic delay lines using vitreous silica plates cut in the form of a wedge are described. Shear waves at frequencies in the 10–50 mc/sec range are reflected back and forth between the wedge surfaces, with resulting open beam paths at the sending and receiving transducers, and gradually overlapping paths at the small end of the wedge. By using a plate with two sets of wedge surfaces, delays of 500 microseconds and more can be obtained, with greater than 40-db suppression of undesirable responses.