n. an eccentric person; a clown or a dunce. (Also a rude term of address.) : Tom is such a screwball!
n. [in baseball] a (pitched) ball that does not travel in a straight line. : Jim threw another screwball, but somehow the batter hit it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History
screwball (n.)
"eccentric person," 1933, U.S. slang, earlier as a type of erratic baseball pitch (1928), from a still earlier name for a type of bowl in cricket (1866), from screw (n.) + ball. Screwball comedy is attested from 1938.