English Dictionary |
SCREWBALL
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
IPA (US): |
Dictionary entry overview: What does screwball mean?
• SCREWBALL (noun)
The noun SCREWBALL has 2 senses:
1. a whimsically eccentric person
2. a pitch with reverse spin that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown
Familiarity information: SCREWBALL used as a noun is rare.
• SCREWBALL (adjective)
The adjective SCREWBALL has 1 sense:
Familiarity information: SCREWBALL used as an adjective is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A whimsically eccentric person
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
crackpot; crank; fruitcake; nut; nut case; screwball
Hypernyms ("screwball" is a kind of...):
eccentric; eccentric person; flake; geek; oddball (a person with an unusual or odd personality)
Derivation:
screwball (foolish; totally unsound)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A pitch with reverse spin that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("screwball" is a kind of...):
delivery; pitch ((baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Foolish; totally unsound
Synonyms:
crazy; half-baked; screwball; softheaded
Context example:
a screwball proposal without a prayer of working
Similar:
impractical (not practical; not workable or not given to practical matters)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Derivation:
screwball (a whimsically eccentric person)
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