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curveball

Syllabification: (curve·ball)
Pronunciation: /ˈkərvˌbôl/
Definition of curveball

noun

Baseball
  • a pitch thrown with a strong downward spin, causing the ball to drop suddenly and veer to the side as it approaches home plate.
  • North American informal something which is unexpected, surprising, or disruptive:there’s always a curveball on every mission

Phrases

throw someone a curveball

North American informal unexpectedly present someone with a challenge or disruption:just when you think things are working out, life throws you a curveball

curveball in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of curveball in the British & World English dictionary
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