screwball
/ˈskɹuːbɔːl/ noun, adjective
Forms screwballs
- noun (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.”
- noun (US, informal, somewhat derogatory) One who behaves in a crazy manner. “I will not listen to this screwball any longer.”
- noun A screwball comedy.
- adjective (originally US, informal, somewhat derogatory) Crazy, offbeat, bizarre, zany, or weird.
Synonyms
crackpot crank nut nut case fruitcake crazy half-baked softheaded
Etymology
Compare typologically German Spinner (akin to spin). Also compare weirdo and weird, from Old English wyrd (“fate”), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, to spin”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “screwball”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details