frozen rope

American  

[froh-zuhn rohp] / ˈfroʊ zən ˈroʊp /

Baseball Slang.

1. a remarkably straight and hard-hit line drive.

   Mitchell’s frozen rope sailed right through the gap in left field, giving him an easy stand-up double.

2. a powerfully thrown ball traveling in a straight line, especially from the outfield.

   A frozen rope from Ichiro in right field retires the runner at third base, and the fans are going wild!

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Etymology

Origin of frozen rope

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Bohm’s homer was a 109.2 mph frozen rope that barely cleared the left field fence, while Marsh’s narrowly made it over the right-field fence.

From Washington Times • Nov. 1, 2022

In an 18-12 loss to Los Alamitos on April 13, Walsh hit such a frozen rope, Hayward said, that the shortstop jumped to try to catch a ball that landed over the fence.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2021

It's not a frozen rope, it's a freaking comet trail deep in outer space.

From Golf Digest • Mar. 2, 2020

He would bravely take the blast off his chest and, while stoically bubbling up lung blood, could whip a frozen rope to first base to nip the runner by a half step.

From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2019

Then the dogs’ traces had to be disentangled; the whole thing was in an inextricable muddle, and the knots and twists in the icy, frozen rope got worse and worse to deal with.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Nansen, Fridtjof