knuckle ball

or knuck·le·ball (nŭk′əl-bôl′)

n. Baseball

A slow pitch that has almost no spin and veers erratically, thrown by gripping the ball with the nails or knuckles near the tips of the index and middle fingers, and often the third finger.

knuck′le·ball′er n.

knuck′le ball`

or knuck′le•ball`,

a slow baseball pitch that moves erratically toward home plate, delivered by holding the ball between the thumb and the knuckles or fingertips.

Also called knuck•ler (ˈnʌk lər)

[1905–10, Amer.]

knuck′le•ball`er, n.

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References in periodicals archive ?

Whenever I found time to play with white ball while playing domestic cricket, I used to try knuckle ball.

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He is also very good in bowling slow balls and occassionally bowls the knuckle ball.

Youngsters are very excited to play for India: Dinesh Karthik

In his youth, Sonny loved playing baseball and was known for his knuckle ball.

Myron Wronski, Jr., 74

When you don't put spin on the ball, when it comes off the boot like a knuckle ball, then the Jabulani can be very erratic, very unpredictable.

WHAT A BALL-UP; Scientists give Jabulani the swerve & prove it must be given the boot

How is this any different that the spin-revealing contact lenses that Brian Roberts (Orioles) uses or Doug Mirabellis' (Red Sox) knuckle ball snagging, over-sized, softball catcher's mit?

TODAY'S LETTERS: A Near-Record Number of Readers Have A Lot to Say About Bonds' Elbow 'Armor'

The broadhead takes over the controls and there's no telling where the Nolan Ryan knuckle ball will end up.

Why Feathers Are Better

Gene Bearden's flood of knuckle ball pitches," Boston sportswriter Jerry Nason wrote, "swarms upon the plate like a covey of geese coming into a marsh.

Boston's dealt out of a trolley series: who could have known?

I said in the profile that, like an aging pitcher whose fast ball has failed him, Dubus would have to learn how to throw a knuckle ball to regain the writing form that had carried him into the major league of American letters.