scatter-armed

[skat-er-ahrmd]

adjective

Sports.

1. having poor control of the ball in a game in which throwing a ball is part of the play; tending to throw a ball outside its intended path.

   scatter-armed pitchers;

   a strong but scatter-armed quarterback.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scatter-armed¹

First recorded in 1980–85; scatter ( def. ) + armed ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

If he hadn’t made it work, the Dodgers may never have tried pushing a scatter-armed third baseman named Steve Garvey across the diamond to first, opening up the position to Russell’s right for Ron Cey.

From Los Angeles Times

With first base suddenly open, the Dodgers were able to move a scatter-armed third baseman named Steve Garvey across the diamond.

From Los Angeles Times

In the field he won nine Gold Glove awards, and was terrific on sharp ground balls and exculpating scatter-armed infielders like Steve Sax and Alvaro Espinosa from God-knows-how-many throwing errors.

From New York Times

His fielding was worse — fans behind first base would start ducking when balls bounced to him, afraid the scatter-armed shortstop would zing another throw into the seats.

From Washington Post

His fielding was worse - fans behind first base would start ducking when balls bounced to him, afraid the scatter-armed shortstop would zing another throw into the seats.

From Seattle Times