knuckleball en · NOUN
Etymology
From knuckle + ball.
Meanings
-
A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation, which travels over an unpredictable path to the plate due to microturbulence in the air.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield is best known for his use of the knuckleball.
Even the pitcher doesn't know where his knuckleball is going.
- A type of delivery where a fast bowler holds the ball on the knuckles of the index and middle fingers.
-
(figuratively, informal) An event that is hard to predict.
Our vendor keeps throwing us knuckleballs.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| knuckleballs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
bug (baseball pitch) · flutterball (baseball pitch) · dancer (baseball pitch) · floater (baseball pitch) · ghostball (baseball pitch) · butterfly ball (baseball pitch)
Translations (5)
es lanzamiento de nudillos (A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation) · ca llançament de nus (A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation) · fr balle-papillon (A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation) · ko 너클볼 (A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation) · ja ナックル (A pitch thrown with the ball gripped on the fingertips and released with no rotation)