throw (someone) a curve/curveball
idiom
: to present (someone) with a difficult and unexpected problem, situation, question, etc.
The reporter threw the candidate a curve by asking about his past drug use.
Recently, Mother Nature threw us a curveball in the form of a 50-degree day in the middle of January.—
Molly Cavanaugh
Molly CavanaughThe sea will throw you a lot of curves, so versatile navigation gear is a must.—Advertisement
AdvertisementExamples of throw (someone) a curve/curveball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
He was taught how to throw a curveball by his sixth-grade teacher, Henry Roper, who was a former minor leaguer.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Fate didn’t throw a curveball at Justin Hillman when he was born.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023
Why not throw a curve into your garden with a round garden bed?
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2023
But throw a curveball, and the opposite side bulges out to catch.
—Yoni Heisler, BGR, 20 Sep. 2022
For another, rotation itself can affect a ball’s trajectory, which is how baseball pitchers use spin to throw a curveball.
—Wil S. Hylton, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Nature can throw a curve ball; nothing is guaranteed.
—oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2022
The public health threat from variants could throw a curveball into the recovery.
—Dallas News, 23 June 2021
The purpose is to throw a curveball at artificial intelligence agents that play the game.
—Mayank Kejriwal, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2021
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Fate didn’t throw a curveball at Justin Hillman when he was born.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023
Why not throw a curve into your garden with a round garden bed?
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2023
But throw a curveball, and the opposite side bulges out to catch.
—Yoni Heisler, BGR, 20 Sep. 2022
For another, rotation itself can affect a ball’s trajectory, which is how baseball pitchers use spin to throw a curveball.
—Wil S. Hylton, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Nature can throw a curve ball; nothing is guaranteed.
—oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2022
The public health threat from variants could throw a curveball into the recovery.
—Dallas News, 23 June 2021
The purpose is to throw a curveball at artificial intelligence agents that play the game.
—Mayank Kejriwal, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'throw (someone) a curve/curveball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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throw (someone) a curve/curveball
Cite this Entry
“Throw (someone) a curve/curveball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throw%20%28someone%29%20a%20curve%2Fcurveball. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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