curve ball

British  

noun

1. baseball a ball pitched in a curving path so as to make it more difficult to hit

2. informal something deceptive

   his wholesome image was a curve ball thrown to deceive the public

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Example Sentences

OK, so this is a bit of a curve ball.

From Los Angeles Times

"Life can throw you these awful curve balls. By talking about it, by having hope, you can continue."

From BBC

After six gruelling hours underwater, Rosemary is nearing the end of her spacewalk test – but then she's thrown a curve ball.

From BBC

“I keep messing up my curve balls,” she shouts, manically flicking her fingers across her phone screen to throw Poké Balls, the spherical tools used to catch Pokémon, the mission of the game.

From Los Angeles Times

But Bravo came into the fourth season appreciating the relief his character would get from the scrapped wedding and the other curve balls that knocked Gabriel off course.

From Los Angeles Times