screwball

Etymology

screw +‎ ball

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

screwball (plural screwballs)

1. (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.

   The screwball is not thrown much because it tends to damage pitcher's arms.

2. (US) One who behaves in a crazy manner.

   I will not listen to this screwball any longer.

Adjective

screwball (comparative more screwball, superlative most screwball)

1. (originally US) Crazy, offbeat, bizarre, zany, or weird.
   • 2013, Tom Shone, Oscar nominations pull a surprise by showing some taste – but will it last? (in The Guardian, 11 January 2013)

     Also a big hand for Silver Linings Playbook, an exuberant modern screwball comedy we had, in an unseemly fit of cynicism, deemed "too entertaining" for Academy voters.