- a variation of curveball.
curve ball
Britishnoun
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baseball a ball pitched in a curving path so as to make it more difficult to hit
-
informal something deceptive
his wholesome image was a curve ball thrown to deceive the public
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, Belmont threw a Ye-style curve ball of his own earlier this year, when he opted to list the partially-completed home for $39 million, eventually reducing that price to $34.9 million.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 11, 2025
Her first album, Messy, was nominated for a Mercury prize - which she describes as "a pure curve ball".
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2023
Even before U.S. markets kick off on Monday, China's ongoing property bust threw another curve ball at stocks markets there.
From Reuters ● Sep. 25, 2023
With an 11th-hour curve ball that would surely make Logan Roy smirk, “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong revealed the drama’s upcoming fourth season will be its last.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
Clarke had a chance to look at the curve ball later, for, with Dineen, Young did a lot toward winning the world’s championship for Boston from Pittsburg in 1903.
From Pitching in a Pinch or, Baseball from the Inside by Christy Mathewson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
