spitball

Plural: spitballs

Noun

• A type of pitch in baseball thrown with a wetted ball.
• a projectile made by chewing a piece of paper and shaping it into a sphere
• an illegal pitch in which a foreign substance (spit or Vaseline) is applied to the ball by the pitcher before he throws it
• A pitch of a baseball that has been partly covered with saliva, illegal at most levels.
• A balled-up piece of paper, moistened with saliva (by chewing) and shot through a drinking straw.

Verb

• To moisten the ball with saliva before pitching it.
• To brainstorm ideas.

Examples

• His opponent’s unexpected move felt like a SPITBALL, curving out of nowhere for many points.

Synonyms

spitter