Cannonball

Definitions

1. A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon.
2. An explosive-filled hollow iron sphere fused through a hole and intended to explode at a calculated distance rather than explode on impact.
3. The act of jumping (typically into a swimming pool) with the legs bent and the arms wrapped around the knees to create a large splash, mimicking the flight and shape of a cannonball.
4. Something that moves fast, especially a fast train.
   figuratively, slang
5. A served ball that travels with great speed and describes little or no arc in flight.

Equivalents

Examples

“The New Yorker, 30 August 2004, p.40”

“The cannonball could be called the S.U.V. of the pool — oversized, brash, hormonally hardwired.”

“Meetings of the model⟳ train⟳ club always begin⟳ with the song "Wabash Cannonball".”

CEFR level