(v. t.) To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk.
(v. i.) A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside.
(v. i.) A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks."
(v. i.) One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.
(v. i.) A hindrance or disappointment; a check.
(v. i.) A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.
(v. i.) A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball.
(v. t.) To leave or make balks in.
(v. t.) To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles.
(v. t.) To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to /hwart; as, to balk expectation.
(v. i.) To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition.
(v. i.) To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.
(v. i.) To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.
Example Sentences:
(1) Since the first is balked by the obstacle of deficit reduction, emphasis has turned to the second.
(2) The US and its allies are balking at Iranian demands for all UN sanctions to be lifted at the start of a deal.
(3) The eastern European nations balked at the “emergency brake” on benefits to EU migrants.
(4) Critics balk at the original asking price of $399, but the initial stock sells out in five hours.
(5) In recent years, though, a number of his near comtemporaries – notably Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen – have been revitalised by taking on the kind of touring schedules that many a younger artist might balk at.
(6) To attract support from moderate Republicans who balked at the plan, an additional $8bn was included over five years to fund so-called high-risk pools that would help subsidize people with preexisting conditions.. Health policy experts have argued the fix is insufficient.
(7) One government source said: "Patrick McLoughlin is not balking at these ideas, which are interesting.
(8) Her work, which tackles the problems women face in Egypt and across the world, has always attracted outrage, but she never seems to have balked at this; she has continued to address controversial issues such as prostitution, domestic violence and religious fundamentalism in her writing.
(9) Young parents who have seen their tax credits cut and wages stagnate might balk at George Osborne’s repeated claims that “the economic plan is working”.
(10) Duration of treadmill exercise on a Balke treadmill protocol increased similarly in the two groups, 62% in the older group (from 8.9 to 14.3 minutes) and 40% in the younger group (from 12.2 to 17.1 minutes) (p = NS).
(11) The Wigan Athletic chairman, Dave Whelan , could step in to save jobs at his stricken former company JJB Sports, which is searching for a buyer after shareholders balked at pumping more cash into the troubled chain.
(12) Republicans in the house have already balked at the $50bn in immediate relief for Sandy that went to the house on Tuesday.
(13) It has been known for weeks that the US balked at Germany’s demand for a no-spy agreement, in part because of the precedent it would set for other countries that might also ask not to be spied on, and in part because Germany , which has limited spy capabilities, had nothing to offer in trade.
(14) Distribution of mitoses and dead hepatocytes in the hepatic balk was investigated.
(15) The new service unveiled on Friday will allow viewers who balk at a monthly Sky pay-TV subscription to access on-demand content including the BBC iPlayer, Facebook and Sky News.
(16) I think we balk at commercialising babies for the same reason that there's no provision under law for financial compensation if you lose a loved one.
(17) The misery of the left was, in the 1980s, matched by the triumphalism of the free marketeers, who had transformed Britain beyond many of their wildest ambitions, and began to balk at the restraints put on their dreams by the European project.
(18) Any Moldy Peach diehards balking at the idea of Green duetting with someone other than Dawson are missing out, though: this record sounds as though he and Shapiro have known each other for ever.
(19) Many countries, including major ones, won’t be willing to make their mitigation commitment legally binding at the international level, and once some balk, the premise of a legal form applicable to all unravels,” he said.
(20) Balking as never before at being the EU's cashpoint, Germany has been the main obstacle, although others have also hidden behind Berlin and quietly egged it on.
Baulk
Definition:
(n. & v.) See Balk.
Example Sentences:
(1) A safety to the baulk ends the threat and we're into a longer-range safety exchange.
(2) His appointment as chief executive is recent enough for him to baulk at the idea of handing over the reins to someone else.
(3) It’s a really horrible feeling that this is now playing smack-bang into the far right’s hands.” Cologne attacks: mayor lambasted for telling women to keep men at arm's length Read more The anxiety has extended to the media, including the evening news programme that tweeted the question to its viewers: “How should we cover the events in Cologne?” and baulked at even touching the item itself until five days after the event.
(4) Pyne said the meeting had “made great progress” on pushing mathematics and science to the forefront of schooling, despite states baulking at the push for one of the subjects to be compulsory in years 11 and 12.
(5) Where the banks and federal government baulked, Gotbaum and other union leaders persuaded their members to throw $2.5 billion in pension funds – often their entire savings for old age – behind the city’s bonds.
(6) Not only would the party’s Stalinist-like discipline compare favourably with the chaos and backbiting that would infect the coalition government, but the Shinners would play it all to their advantage in other ways.” With senior Fianna Fáil personnel baulking at the prospect of a formal coalition government with Fine Gael and remaining on the opposition benches, it appears so far that they will not be gifting any “grand coalition wet dream” to Sinn Féin in the near future.
(7) Any prolongation will be costly with the EU's core creditor members almost certain to baulk at handing out another 20 bn euro - the estimated cost of extending the program.
(8) But they criticised the fact that leaders had baulked at Merkel’s proposal that they should agree to immediate binding emission targets.
(9) Japan has become keener on free-trade agreements but may baulk at dismantling its agricultural protectionism.
(10) Labor frontbencher Penny Wong said it was unfortunate that the prime minister appeared to be baulking at the bill.
(11) But baulked of his ambition to lead Britain into the EEC by de Gaulle, Macmillan's greatest achievement in foreign policy lay in hastening the thaw in relations with the Soviet Union in the post-Stalin, post-Dulles world.
(12) And now this year Noël had descended upon it in its fullest and most splendid robes of state, as though to emphasise the fact that it was not to be baulked by the petty machinations of men.
(13) That those who saw this chance did not baulk at it.
(14) His performances back then gave little reason to baulk at a suitable fee but Mané has been in stunning form during the final two months of the season – scoring eight goals in as many games and showing marked improvement in much of his build up play – and looks very much the kind of player an upwardly mobile team needs to stick around.
(15) Gerwig may baulk at the comparison, but Baumbach tells me that the character of Frances Ha – footloose free spirit; pratfalling dancer – was directly informed by her.
(16) Milne also suggested that although the national government "had baulked at the idea of introducing legislation to standardise packaging", this would be a progressive step and would discourage children and young people from taking up smoking.
(17) The lead is 29, but it's worth more given that the majority of reds are up in baulk.
(18) 9.11pm BST A safety exchange sends a number of reds up towards baulk, before Selby leaves a tight one to the middle.
(19) But it was his poverty of imagination that did for Murray; even when there was little to lose, as Federer hit occasionally sublime heights of excellence to go two sets up, Murray baulked at coming to the net.
(20) The government had an opportunity to act, and has baulked.