slowball

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A pitch that is not a fastball or curveball

   A pitch that is not a fastball or curveball; often a change-up.

2. 2

   Steady, cautionary behavior as a delaying tactic.

   • “We imagine that the Russians and the Chinese are going to play slowball here,” said a senior official involved in the sanctions talks.
   • But he says the company is dragging its feet and threatened to use his subpoena power to get them moving. “They’re trying to play slowball,” he said of Google.
   • Dave Kearney then says he's had enough of the slow-ball tactics and bursts through a couple of tackles.
3. 3

   An easy or obvious target.

   • Remember: In work problems, use your common sense to narrow down answer choices! Now we're going to throw a "slowball" at you.
   • The interviewer nodded sympathetically. “Why do you think he would react so harshly?” A slowball question he hoped she would knock out of the park from a pro-abortion perspective.
   • The opening for a milk-beast related play on the name Lady Angus was a nice hanging slowball, but Keeler bit his tongue.
4. ›+ 2 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To pitch a slowball.

   2. 5

      To delay something for personal advantage.

      • A prolonged study is frequently a method of slowballing an investigation until the Senators or Congress who are interested pass from the political scene.
      • As one senior U.S. military observer stated: "They are stonewalling us and slowballing us."
      • And if some guy is dipping into the funds or taking bribes or slowballing things, those people should be exposed.

The neighborhood

• neighborslow-walk