Uncle Charlie

American  

[uhng-kuhl chahr-lee] / ˈʌŋ kəl ˈtʃɑr li /

noun

Baseball Slang.

1. curveball.

   When this guy delivers his Uncle Charlie, there’s not a left-handed hitter in the league who can get on base.

---

Etymology

Origin of Uncle Charlie

First recorded in 1930–35; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Uncle Charlie

Bruno is a psychological relative of Uncle Charlie in “Shadow of a Doubt,” and of Brandon in “Rope.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

A 2021 film version of The Tender Bar produced by Mr Clooney cast Affleck as the aforementioned Uncle Charlie.

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2023

Casting his friend Affleck as the larger-than-life Uncle Charlie was a no-brainer, said Clooney.

From Reuters ● Oct. 11, 2021

Some policies define grandparents as immediate family, for instance, but not Uncle Charlie.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2018

Then, and only then, did Uncle Charlie put the huge carving knife to the goose.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals