curveball
(baseball) A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".
Seen in the wild
Bears and Ravens Would Be Perfect Trade Partners if Logan Jones Takes Starting Job https://www.rawchili.com/nfl/883964/ The Chicago Bears threw more than one curveball during the 2026 NFL Draft, and one of those cur…
Olivia Coleman's hubby was a huge curveball. Not a clue and brilliantly done.
It was a hanging curveball, right out over the plate. Had to do it.
The bizarre thing is "the Iranians have noticed and internalized that Donald Trump is not trustworthy" seems to be treated among reporters as some sort of curveball by the Iranians
Definitions
(baseball) A forespin pitch thrown by rotating the index and middle fingers down and resulting in motion down "curve".
He bit on a curveball in the dirt.
“Bears and Ravens Would Be Perfect Trade Partners if Logan Jones Takes Starting Job https://www.rawchili.com/nfl/883964/ The Chicago Bears threw more than one curveball during the 2026 NFL Draft, and one of those curveballs…”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(baseball) To throw a curveball.
Comments
(by extension, chiefly, US) An unexpected turn of events initiated by an opponent or chance; an exception or outlier.
Life has thrown him a few curveballs.
“Olivia Coleman's hubby was a huge curveball. Not a clue and brilliantly done.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“It was a hanging curveball, right out over the plate. Had to do it.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“The bizarre thing is "the Iranians have noticed and internalized that Donald Trump is not trustworthy" seems to be treated among reporters as some sort of curveball by the Iranians”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
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Semantically related
- screwball73%
(baseball) A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index finger and a twisting wrist motion resulting in a motion to the right when thrown by a right-handed pitcher.
- nothing ball66%
(baseball) a pitch which has neither much speed nor much spin.
- knee-buckler66%
(baseball, slang) A curveball (or occasionally a knuckleball) that fools the hitter, causing his or her knees to buckle (i.e. bend).