Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

throw a curve

 - 5 dictionary results
CB-6000 CB-3000 Curve
AL Enterprises Inc The Original Manufacturer
www.CB-2000.com

curve

  [kurv] noun, verb, curved, curv⋅ing, adjective
Use throw a curve in a Sentence
–noun
1. a continuously bending line, without angles.
2. the act or extent of curving.
3. any curved outline, form, thing, or part.
4. a curved section of a road, path, hallway, etc.
5. Railroads. a curved section of track: in the U.S. the curve is often expressed as the central angle, measured in degrees, of a curved section of track subtended by a chord 100 ft. (30 m) long (degree of curve).
6. Also called curve ball. Baseball.
a. a pitch delivered with a spin that causes the ball to veer from a normal straight path, away from the side from which it was thrown.
b. the course of such a pitched ball.
7. a graphic representation of the variations effected in something by the influence of changing conditions; graph.
8. Mathematics. a collection of points whose coordinates are continuous functions of a single independent variable.
9. a misleading or deceptive trick; cheat; deception.
10. Education. a grading system based on the scale of performance of a group, so that those performing better, regardless of their actual knowledge of the subject, receive high grades: The new English professor marks on a curve. Compare absolute (def. 10).
11. a curved guide used in drafting.
–verb (used with object)
12. to bend in a curve; cause to take the course of a curve.
13. to grade on a curve.
14. Baseball. to pitch a curve to.
–verb (used without object)
15. to bend in a curve; take the course of a curve.
–adjective
16. curved.
—Idioms
17. ahead of (or behind) the curve, at the forefront of (or lagging behind) recent developments, trends, etc.
18. throw (someone) a curve,
a. to take (someone) by surprise, esp. in a negative way.
b. to mislead or deceive.
Origin:
1565–75; (< MF) < L curvus crooked, bent, curved

Related forms:
curv⋅ed⋅ly  [kur-vid-lee] , adverb
curv⋅ed⋅ness, noun
curveless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To throw a curve
CB-6000 CB-3000 Curve
AL Enterprises Inc The Original Manufacturer
www.CB-2000.com
Word Origin & History

curve  (v.)
1594, from L. curvus "crooked, curved, bent," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (see ring). The noun is attested from 1696, "curved line;" with ref. to the female figure (usually pl.), from 1862; as a type of baseball pitch, from 1879. Curvaceous is Amer.Eng., 1936 (first reference is to Mae West), with facetious use of botanical suffix.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

curve (kûrv)
n.

  1. A line or surface that deviates from straightness in a smooth, continuous fashion.

  2. Something characterized by such a line or surface, especially a rounded line or contour of the human body.

  3. A curved line representing variations in data on a graph.

v. curved, curv·ing, curves
To move in or take the shape of a curve.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
curve   (kûrv)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A line or surface that bends in a smooth, continuous way without sharp angles.

  2. The graph of a function on a coordinate plane. In this technical sense, straight lines, circles, and waves are all curves.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

throw a curve

Surprise or outwit someone, as in They threw me a curve when they said that our department would be combined with yours. This colloquial term comes from baseball, where a pitcher tries to fool the batter by using a curve ball, which is thrown with sufficient spin to make it veer from its expected path. The term was transferred to other kinds of surprise, not necessarily unpleasant, in the mid-1900s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see throw a curve on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way