throw (someone) a curve/curveball

idiom

: to present (someone) with a difficult and unexpected problem, situation, question, etc.

The reporter threw the candidate a curve by asking about his past drug use.

Recently, Mother Nature threw us a curveball in the form of a 50-degree day in the middle of January.—

Molly Cavanaugh

The sea will throw you a lot of curves, so versatile navigation gear is a must.—

Examples of throw (someone) a curve/curveball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Fate didn’t throw a curveball at Justin Hillman when he was born. —

Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023 Why not throw a curve into your garden with a round garden bed? —

Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2023 But throw a curveball, and the opposite side bulges out to catch. —

Yoni Heisler, BGR, 20 Sep. 2022 Nature can throw a curve ball; nothing is guaranteed. —

oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2022 The public health threat from variants could throw a curveball into the recovery. —

Dallas News, 23 June 2021 The purpose is to throw a curveball at artificial intelligence agents that play the game. —

Mayank Kejriwal, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2021

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“Throw (someone) a curve/curveball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throw%20%28someone%29%20a%20curve%2Fcurveball. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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