I. noun
or baulk ˈbȯk sometimes -ȯlk
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English balke, from Old English balca ridge; akin to Old High German balko beam, Old Norse bjālki, Latin fulcire to prop, Greek phalanx log, line of battle, Sanskrit bhurij arm
1.
a. : a ridge of land left unplowed between furrows or formerly between the acres or fields in common lands
b. : a piece missed in plowing (as by carelessness)
2. : a rough-squared length of timber : beam , rafter , tie beam
3. dialect England
a. : the beam of a balance
b. : the often unfloored loft above the tie beams of a house — usually used in plural
4. obsolete : omission
5. : hindrance , disappointment , check , defeat
6.
a. : the space behind the balkline on a billiard table
b. : any of the eight outside divisions of a billiard table made by the four balklines
7. : headrope connecting fishing nets
8.
a. : a failure of a competitor after making his approach to the starting line to follow through with his jump, vault, or dive
b. : an illegal motion by the pitcher in baseball toward the plate or toward a base when there are men on base especially without delivering the ball, the baserunners automatically advancing a base
c. in racket games : interference with an opponent's stroke
9. : one of the stringers placed from boat to boat on which the flooring is placed in a floating bridge
10. : an abrupt thinning out of a coal seam
II. verb
or baulk “
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English balken to make balks in plowing, to pass over, from balke, n.
transitive verb
1. archaic : to pass over : let pass by : overlook , ignore , avoid
and such an age as ours balks no expense — William Cowper
2. : to defeat, check, or stop by or as if by an obstacle, block, or barrier : block from things wished, contemplated, or planned causing ensuing disappointment and vexation : block or halt occurrence, indication, performance, or execution of
the French ambassadors had neither been balked nor been frightened — Francis Hackett
snarled in a knot of words which balks the understanding — Edmund Wilson
3. cribbage : to give (the dealer's crib) cards that are unlikely to make fifteens or sequences
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to stop short and refuse to go
they balked like seasoned steers at a loading-chute gate — Lewis Nordyke
: cease or decline progress, action, or development suddenly, arbitrarily, or unexpectedly
many of the more interesting bacteria distinctly prefer to grow at this higher temperature and … are apt to balk if not provided with their favorite heat — Justina Hill
b. : to refuse abruptly or decisively (as for reasons of taste, propriety, or temperament) : recoil — used with at
his aggressive nature balked at the association — American Guide Series: Oregon
I balked at snails but Bill got them down without a quiver — W.A.White
c. : to commit a balk in sports
2. : to engage in foolish or trivial argument : quibble
Synonyms: see demur , frustrate