windup

Toy needing keys

Windup is the preparatory motion before a throw or pitch—the arm drawn back, body coiled.

By extension, it's any buildup to a main event: the windup to the announcement.

In British English, a windup is a deliberate tease or joke meant to provoke: Is this a windup?

As an adjective, windup describes toys or mechanisms powered by a coiled spring: a windup clock, a windup toy.

pitch

fastball

Maximum-speed baseball throw

curveballPitch with spin-induced arc
sliderAdjustable interface element
changeupDeliberately slow pitch

sinker · splitter · knuckleball · delivery · motion · arm · release · strikeout · mound · bullpen

toy

clockwork

Spring-driven gear system

springRecoiling metal spiral
keyLock-opening device
mechanicalOperated by machinery

tin · vintage · automaton · crank · robot · doll · retro · collectible · novelty · figure

conclusion

finale

Concluding part of performance

climaxPoint of greatest intensity
resolutionFormal decision or determination
closureSense of emotional resolution

endgame · completion · culmination · finish · ending · final act · home stretch · countdown · summation · sendoff

tension

buildup

Gradual accumulation over time

suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
anticipationState of awaiting something
crescendoGradual increase in loudness

preparation · prelude · excitement · momentum · drama · edge · expectation · climactic · mounting

tease

joke

Humorous statement seeking laughter

prankPlayful trick on someone
gagMouth restraint or jest
ribCurved chest bone

leg-pull · put-on · needle · mock · banter · jibe · taunt · provoke · hoax · spoof

Categories

pitchingfastball, slider, curveball, changeup, sinker
throwsthrow, toss, hurl, fling, cast
baseball actionscatch, throw, hit, pitch, field
baseball skillsbatting, pitching, catching, fielding, throwing
Baseball & Hurlingpitcher, fastball, curveball, slider, knuckleball
control systemsfeedback control, closed loop, open loop, feedback loop, servomechanism

Opposites

sequence/temporal position

windupbeginning

Initial stage of something

start · opening · commencement · outset · kickoff

mechanical operation

Powered by current

battery-powered · electronic · motorized · nonmechanical · digital

pitching motion

Conveyance of goods

release · pitch · throw · stretch · follow-through

Phrases

wind upReach a final state
wind downGradually relax or conclude
wind screenVehicle's front glass

Family

wind, unwind, winds, unwinding, rewind, wind-up, downwind, rewinding, tailwind

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G