球場上真的會彎的那顆球
這是畫面本身：實際被投出來、在空中彎掉的那顆球。
noun · B2
In baseball, a ball thrown with heavy spin so that it bends and drops on its way to the batter instead of flying straight. It is hard to hit because it ends up somewhere the batter was not expecting.
曲球
核心畫面
Picture a ball that does not go where the first part of its flight promised. It leaves the hand looking straight, spins hard, and bends away late — after the bat has already started moving. The damage is done by the timing, not by speed or distance: you committed to one line, and the ball took another. Every use of curveball keeps that shape.
可以想成一顆「不照你預期路線走」的球。它離開手的時候看起來直直的，強烈旋轉，最後一刻才彎開——而那時候球棒已經開始揮…更多收起
可以想成一顆「不照你預期路線走」的球。它離開手的時候看起來直直的，強烈旋轉，最後一刻才彎開——而那時候球棒已經開始揮了。難打的不是速度，也不是位置，而是時間差：你認定了一條線，球卻走了另一條。curveball 的每個用法都留著這個形狀。From the word’s history
Wiktionary gives the word simply as curve + ball, which is the whole picture: the ball that curves.
Wiktionary 記載 curveball 就是 curve（彎）加 ball（球），字面已經把畫面說完：那顆會彎的球。
Wiktionary entry 'curveball' (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1000571501), supplied in the evidence packet.
Two branches
生活丟過來的變化球
把球場上的時間差搬到日常：計畫已經在跑，事情卻在半路轉向。
noun · B2
Something that suddenly happens that nobody was ready for, and that makes a situation harder to deal with. It very often appears with throw: if life or a person throws you a curveball, your plan has to change fast.
意外的難題