Spitball: meaning, definitions and examples

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spitball

 

[ ˈspɪtˌbɔl ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

school game

A small ball made of paper, typically thrown as a game in school classrooms.

Synonyms

paper ball, wad of paper

Examples of usage

  • During recess, the kids were playing with spitballs in the back of the classroom.
  • The teacher caught the student making spitballs during the lesson.
Context #2 | Noun

baseball

A pitch thrown with a high degree of spin, causing the ball to move erratically.

Synonyms

spitter, wet one

Examples of usage

  • The pitcher threw a spitball that confounded the batter.
  • His signature pitch was the spitball, which batters found difficult to hit.

Translations

Translations of the word "spitball" in other languages:

🇵🇹 bola de papel

🇮🇳 कागज़ की गोली

🇩🇪 Papierkugel

🇮🇩 bola kertas

🇺🇦 паперова кулька

🇵🇱 kulka z papieru

🇯🇵 紙くずの玉 (かみくずのたま)

🇫🇷 boulette de papier

🇪🇸 bola de papel

🇹🇷 kağıt topu

🇰🇷 종이 뭉치

🇸🇦 كرة ورقية

🇨🇿 papírová kulička

🇸🇰 papierová guľôčka

🇨🇳 纸团 (zhǐ tuán)

🇸🇮 papirnata kroglica

🇮🇸 pappírkúla

🇰🇿 қағаз шарик

🇬🇪 ქაღალდის ბურთი

🇦🇿 kağız topu

🇲🇽 bola de papel

Etymology

The term 'spitball' originated in the late 19th century, deriving from the act of moistening a small piece of paper and shaping it into a ball before throwing it. In the context of baseball, the spitball pitch was banned in 1920 due to concerns about altering the ball's trajectory through the use of saliva or other substances.

See also: spite, spitter, spittle.