balk

balk  (bôk)

v. balked, balk·ing, balks

v.intr.

1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump.

2. To refuse obstinately or abruptly: She balked at the very idea of compromise.

3.

a. Sports To make an incomplete or misleading motion.

b. Baseball To make an illegal motion before pitching, allowing one or more base runners to advance one base.

v.tr.

1. To check or thwart by or as if by an obstacle.

2. Archaic To let go by; miss.

n.

1. A hindrance, check, or defeat.

2. Sports An incomplete or misleading motion, especially an illegal move made by a baseball pitcher.

3. Games One of the spaces between the cushion and the balk line on a billiard table.

4.

a. An unplowed strip of land.

b. A ridge between furrows.

5. A wooden beam or rafter.

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[Middle English balken, to plow up in ridges, from balk, ridge, from Old English balca and from Old Norse balkr, beam.]

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balker n.

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balk or baulk

Verb

1. to stop short: the horse balked at the jump

2. to recoil: France balked at the parliament having a veto

3. to thwart, check, or foil: he was balked in his plans [Old English balca ridge]

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Balk a ridge or heap on the ground. See also bank, bar.

Examples: balk of earth; of good ground, 1605; of money, 1652; of sand, 1538.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	balk - the area on a billiard table behind the balkline; "a player with ball in hand must play from the balk" baulk billiard table, pool table, snooker table - game equipment consisting of a heavy table on which pool is played surface area, expanse, area - the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary; "the area of a rectangle"; "it was about 500 square feet in area"
	2.	balk - something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress deterrent, hinderance, hindrance, impediment, baulk, handicap, check difficulty - a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent" albatross, millstone - (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps; "she was an albatross around his neck" bind - something that hinders as if with bonds diriment impediment - (canon law) an impediment that invalidates a marriage (such as the existence of a prior marriage) drag - something that slows or delays progress; "taxation is a drag on the economy"; "too many laws are a drag on the use of new land" obstacle, obstruction - something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan" straitjacket - anything immaterial that severely hinders or confines; "they defected because Russian dance was in a straitjacket"; "the government is operating in an economic straitjacket"
	3.	balk - one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof rafter, baulk beam - long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction
	4.	balk - an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base pitch, delivery - (baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter
Verb	1.	balk - refuse to comply baulk, jib, resist disobey - refuse to go along with; refuse to follow; be disobedient; "He disobeyed his supervisor and was fired"

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balk or baulk

verb (usually with at) recoil, resist, hesitate, dodge, falter, evade, shy away, flinch, quail, shirk, shrink, draw back, jib << OPPOSITE accept

Translations

balk [bɔːk] vi to balk (at) → resistirse (a); [horse] → plantarse (ante)

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balk [bɔːk] vi to balk (at) [person] → regimber (contre); [horse] → se dérober (devant)

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balk [bɔːk] vi to balk (at) (subj) (person) → zurückschrecken (vor +dat): (horse) → scheuen (vor +dat)

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balk [bɔːlk] vi to balk (at) → tirarsi indietro (davanti a); [horse] → recalcitrare (davanti a)