curve ball

curve ball

or curve·ball (kûrv′bôl′)

n.

1. Baseball Any of several pitches that veer to the left when thrown with the right hand and to the right when thrown with the left hand.

2. Slang Something that is unexpected or designed to trick or deceive: That last question on the exam was a real curve ball.

Idiom:

pitch/throw (someone) a curve ball Slang

1. To mislead; deceive.

2. To cause to be surprised, especially unpleasantly so.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

curve ball

n

1. (Baseball) baseball a ball pitched in a curving path so as to make it more difficult to hit

2. something deceptive: his wholesome image was a curve ball thrown to deceive the public.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

curve ball - a pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its path curves as it approaches the batter breaking ball, curve, bender pitch, delivery - (baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter

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