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   Balk

   /bô(l)k/

   

   verb

   • 1. hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking: "any gardener will at first balk at enclosing the garden" Similar eschewresistrefuse tobe unwilling todraw the line atbe reluctant todraw back fromflinch fromshrink fromshy fromrecoil fromquail atdemur fromhesitate overscruple totake exception tonot like tohate tojib atscorndisdainOpposite accept
   • ▪ thwart or hinder (a plan or person): "the utmost of his influence will be invoked to balk the law" Similar impedeobstructthwarthinderpreventcheckstopcurbhaltbarblockforestallfrustratestallbafflefoildefeatbeatcounteracthead offOpposite assist
   • ▪ prevent a person or animal from having (something): "the lions, fearing to be balked of their prey"
   • ▪ (of a horse) refuse to go on.
   • ▪ miss or refuse (a chance or invitation). archaic
   • 2. (of a pitcher) make an illegal motion, penalized by an advance of the base runners: "the rookie balked and permitted Robinson to score"

   noun

   • 1. an illegal motion made by a pitcher that may deceive a base runner.
   • 2. a roughly squared timber beam.
   • 3. any area on a pool or billiard table in which play is restricted in some way.
   • 4. a ridge left unplowed between furrows.

   Word Origin late Old Englishbalc, from Old Norse bálkr ‘partition’. The original use was ‘unplowed ridge’, later ‘land left unplowed by mistake’, hence ‘blunder, omission’, giving rise to the verb use ‘miss (a chance)’. A late Middle English sense ‘obstacle’ gave rise to the verb senses ‘hesitate’ and ‘hinder’.

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • B

     3

   • A

     1

   • L

     1

   • K

     5

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