- balk, baulk
- Either spelling is correct, but the second is primarily British.
Dictionary of troublesome word. Bill Bryson. 2013.
balk, baulk
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balk, baulk — Either spelling is correct, but the second is primarily British … Dictionary of troublesome word
Balk (disambiguation) — Balk has many uses, such as:* Something left untouched, from in the Scots term bauk ; this led to the word s current meaning a hindrance or check. From this, some uses developed: ** A balk is an illegal action in baseball. ** A horse is said to… … Wikipedia
balk — baulk, balk 1. pronunciation. It should be pronounced bawlk (with l). 2. spelling. The usual BrE spelling is baulk, although balk is more common in AmE. The primary use is as a verb meaning (1) followed by at: ‘to hesitate, refuse to go on’, as… … Modern English usage
baulk — baulk, balk 1. pronunciation. It should be pronounced bawlk (with l). 2. spelling. The usual BrE spelling is baulk, although balk is more common in AmE. The primary use is as a verb meaning (1) followed by at: ‘to hesitate, refuse to go on’, as… … Modern English usage
balk´ing|ly — balk «bk», verb, noun. –v.i. 1. to stop short and stubbornly refuse to go on: »My horse balked at the fence. SYNONYM(S): jib, shy. 2. to hesitate or stop (at); avoid; not do: »He balks at every disturbance and never finishes his work … Useful english dictionary
balk´er — balk «bk», verb, noun. –v.i. 1. to stop short and stubbornly refuse to go on: »My horse balked at the fence. SYNONYM(S): jib, shy. 2. to hesitate or stop (at); avoid; not do: »He balks at every disturbance and never finishes his work … Useful english dictionary
balk — also baulk BrE [bo:k, bo:lk US bo:k, bo:lk] v [Date: 1400 1500; Origin: balk raised area that gets in the way of forward movement (15 21 centuries), from Old English balca pile of things on the ground ] 1.) to not want to do or try something,… … Dictionary of contemporary English
baulk — alternative spelling of BALK (Cf. balk), especially in billiards, in reference to a bad shot … Etymology dictionary
baulk — (chiefly US also balk) ► VERB 1) (baulk at) hesitate to accept (an idea). 2) thwart or hinder (a plan or person). 3) (of a horse) refuse to go on. ► NOUN ▪ a roughly squared timber beam. ORIGIN originally … English terms dictionary
baulk — [bo:k, bo:lk US bo:k, bo:lk] a British spelling of ↑balk … Dictionary of contemporary English
