Screwball

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈskruːbɔːl/

Origin

From screw + ball

Full definition of screwball

Noun

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

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)http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2013/jan/11/oscar-nominations-surprise-tasteAlso 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.

Derived terms

• screwball comedy