big snip n.— «The choral tradition has seen a preference for male alto voices.…With few volunteers for “the big snip” these days, they also make convenient stand-ins for the castrato voice—all the rage in vocal music of...
shuto n.— «He also throws a pitch known in Japan as a “shuto” that essentially is a screwball—though he didn’t use it Wednesday.» —“Against Pirates, Matsuzaka Is ‘as Good as Advertised’” by Dave Sheinin in...
gyroball n.— «When Japanese television analysts tried to deconstruct the mystifying slider thrown by Daisuke Matsuzaka, they called it a gyroball, partly because the pitch seemed to come from another world.» —“The Japanese Gyroball...
transactional lobbying n.— «Mr. Wilkes had set up separate meetings with the lawmakers hoping to win a government contract, and he planned to punctuate each pitch with a campaign donation. But his hometown congressman, Representative Bill...
noon-to-cocktail hour curve n.— «Zito was dominant. His noon-to-cocktail-hour curve—scouts slang for a pitch that breaks downward like hands on a clock moving from 12 to 6—gave the Dodgers fits.» —“Zito Shows L.A. to Its...
five and fly n.— «But the run prevention problems aren’t caused entirely by the bullpen; when starters aren’t able to go six or seven innings, they make the underbelly of the bullpen pitch with the game on the line. Last season, with a...