screwball

[ skroo-bawl ]

noun

1. Slang. an eccentric or irrational person; a nut:

   When the FBI first looked into him, they thought he was a harmless screwball.

2. Baseball. a pitched ball that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown, in a trajectory opposite to that of a curve ball:

   Has the once popular screwball vanished completely from the major leagues?

adjective

1. Slang. eccentric or irrational; nutty:

   What a screwball idea!

screwball

/ ˈskruːˌbɔːl /

noun

1. an odd or eccentric person

adjective

1. odd; zany; eccentric

Word History and Origins

Origin of screwball¹

First recorded in 1865–70; in 1935–40 screwball fordef 2; screw + ball ¹

Example Sentences

But the bigger surprise has to be how far out in front leader Sean Baker is for “Anora”: “Complications arise and Baker delights in each and every one of them, creating a screwball comedy that will end up breaking your heart,” says Glenn Whipp.

From Los Angeles Times

Complications arise and Baker delights in each and every one of them, creating a screwball comedy that will end up breaking your heart.”

From Los Angeles Times

Valenzuela learned his iconic screwball — a pitch that few can master — not in Mexico, but in the Dodger’s’ minor-league system.

From Los Angeles Times

Fernando Valenzuela had a screwball, but he certainly wasn’t one.

From Los Angeles Times

“I went out one time and told him, in Spanish, to throw his next pitch, his famous screwball, into the dirt,” Scioscia says.

From Los Angeles Times