curveball

American  

[kurv-bawl] / ˈkɜrvˌbɔl /

Or curve ball

noun

Baseball.

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of curveball

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

"That's completely unexpected, what a curveball, I've been totally played."

From BBC

Still, Stafford will turn 38 the day before the Super Bowl, and it wouldn’t be much of a curveball if that were his last game, especially if the Rams were to win.

From Los Angeles Times

“They finally seemed to figure shale out, and here comes another curveball.”

From The Wall Street Journal

We'll sometimes throw each other a curveball with a pick choice but it never gets heated or anything like that.

From BBC

Alongside Anderson’s film were Josh Safdie’s frenetic ping-pong dramedy “Marty Supreme,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest curveball “Bugonia,” Park Chan-wook’s South Korean satire “No Other Choice” and two films directed by Richard Linklater — the cinephile homage “Nouvelle Vague” and the quietly old-fashioned character study “Blue Moon” starring Ethan Hawke.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• action
• gimmick
• manipulation
• measure
• movement
• plot
• ploy
• procedure
• ruse
• scheme
• step
• stunt
• trick