Definition of Screwball

1. Noun. A whimsically eccentric person.

Exact synonyms: Crackpot, Crank, Fruitcake, Nut, Nut Case
Generic synonyms: Eccentric, Eccentric Person, Flake, Geek, Oddball

2. Adjective. Foolish; totally unsound. "A screwball proposal without a prayer of working"
Exact synonyms: Crazy, Half-baked, Softheaded
Language type: Colloquialism
Similar to: Impractical
Derivative terms: Craziness

3. Noun. A pitch with reverse spin that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown.
Generic synonyms: Delivery, Pitch

Definition of Screwball

1. Noun. (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. ¹

2. Noun. (American English) One who behaves in a crazy or screwball manner. ¹

3. Adjective. (American English) Crazy, offbeat, bizarre, zany, or weird. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Screwball

1. [n -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Screwball

screw the pooch
screw this
screw thread
screw threads
screw top
screw tops
screw tree
screw up
screw with
screw worm infection
screw wrench
screwability
screwback
screwball (current term)
screwball comedies
screwball comedy
screwballer
screwbean
screwbean mesquite
screwbeans
screwcapped
screwdriver
screwdrivers
screwed
screwed the pooch
screwed up

Literary usage of Screwball

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Baseball Goes to War by William B. Mead (1998)
"Before that, I had just a screwball and a curve ball; my fast ball was never too ... The batters used to start leaning out over the plate for the screwball; ..."

2. Baseball Goes to War by William B. Mead (1998)
"Before that, I had just a screwball and a curve ball; my fast ball was never too ... The batters used to start leaning out over the plate for the screwball; ..."

3. My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World by Julian Dibbell (1998)
"... under cover of an unregistered second character she called screwball, in the questionable practice of signing a single petition two times. ..."

4. Jacques Loeb: His Science and Social Activism and Their Philosophical by Charles Rasmussen, Rick Tilman (1998)
"... at Chicago: "He ... was one of the few supporters of Thorstein Veblen, though he told his son he thought 'Veblen's inclinations were a bit screwball'. ..."

5. Jacques Loeb: His Science and Social Activism and Their Philosophical by Charles Rasmussen, Rick Tilman (1998)
"... were a bit screwball'."19 In a footnote Pauly continues: 'The only element of Veblen's thought that Loeb took seriously was his 'instinct of 16. ..."

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