throw (sb) a curve (ball)
mainly US and Australian English informalto surprise someone with something that is difficult or unpleasant to deal with:
Mother Nature threw us a curve ball last winter with record-breaking amounts of snow.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences
- a (heavy) cross to bear idiom
- a cloud on the horizon idiom
- a fate worse than death idiom
- a hard/tough row to hoe idiom
- a narrow squeak idiom
- barrel
- bind
- crunch
- curse
- eventuality
- fate
- feeding frenzy
- going
- have a bumpy ride idiom
- rum
- schtuck
- shtook
- stalemate
- standoff
- vortex
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Puzzle and confuse