lob

A lob is not about power. It is about sending something gently in a high curve. You can picture a tennis player hitting the ball up and over an opponent, or someone tossing a pillow across a room. It can also be used in conversations. If you lob a question at someone, you ask it in an easy, informal way, without sounding too serious or forceful.

The main idea is a soft, curved movement or a light, casual way of speaking. It is not direct or hard. It feels easy and unhurried.

"Lob" has a few related meanings, and the central idea is sending something in a high, gentle curve. Most often, it means to throw or hit something so it goes up and comes down softly rather than moving fast and straight. In tennis, for example, a player may hit the ball over an opponent's head. In other games, it can mean an easy, lifted pass or throw.

The word is also used in a more figurative way. People can lob a question, a comment, or even criticism. In that sense, it means to say something in a casual or not-too-direct way, often as if you are tossing it into the conversation and waiting to see what happens. For example: "She lobbed a quick question across the table."

Older uses of the word had to do with something heavy, lumpy, or clumsy, but that sense is uncommon now. In modern English, the word is mainly used for a soft throw, a high shot, or a casual remark sent into a discussion. Across these uses, the feeling is usually the same: not forceful, not sharp, but lifted and easy.