  In braneworld models, Space-Time-Matter and other Kaluza-Klein theories, our
spacetime is devised as a four-dimensional hypersurface {\it orthogonal} to the
extra dimension in a five-dimensional bulk. We show that the FRW line element
can be "reinvented" on a dynamical four-dimensional hypersurface, which is {\it
not} orthogonal to the extra dimension, without any internal contradiction.
This hypersurface is selected by the requirement of continuity of the metric
and depends explicitly on the evolution of the extra dimension. The main
difference between the "conventional" FRW, on an orthogonal hypersurface, and
the new one is that the later contains higher-dimensional modifications to the
regular matter density and pressure in 4D. We compare the evolution of the
spacetime in these two interpretations. We find that a wealth of "new" physics
can be derived from a five-dimensional metric if it is interpreted on a
dynamical (non-orthogonal) 4D hypersurface. In particular, in the context of a
well-known cosmological metric in $5D$, we construct a FRW model which is
consistent with the late accelerated expansion of the universe, while fitting
simultaneously the observational data for the deceleration parameter. The model
predicts an effective equation of state for the universe, which is consistent
with observations.
