curveball
or curve ball
[ kurv-bawl ]
/ ˈkɜrvˌbɔl /
noun Baseball.
a pitch with a downward spin that causes the ball to drop and veer as it approaches home plate, away from the side from which it was thrown: He started perfecting his curveball during his junior year in high school.
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What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of curveball
An Americanism dating back to 1875–80
Words nearby curveball
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for curveball
curve ball
noun
baseball a ball pitched in a curving path so as to make it more difficult to hit
informal something deceptivehis wholesome image was a curve ball thrown to deceive the public
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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