| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| balk (n.), balk, balk at (vv.), balky (adj.) |
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| The British frequently spell these baulk and baulky. Rhyme them with talk; the l is silent. The noun means “a ridge of land left unplowed, either deliberately as a boundary [hence figuratively the territory behind the balkline on a billiard table] or carelessly [hence figuratively the error in baseball, wherein the pitcher moves illegally while his foot is on the rubber; runners are given the next base as penalty for the unfair hindrance this poses to their advancing].” A balk is also a rough-hewn piece of timber, probably an analogy with the rough, unplowed strip of land. The verb balk means “to stop or impede as with an obstacle,” as in The horse balked when I tried to lead it across the bridge, and also to commit a balk in baseball. To balk at is intransitive, and means “to shy away from, to refuse to cooperate,” as in He balked at going to the concert. The adjective balky means “uncooperative, resistant, stubborn”: Balky horses are dangerous nuisances. All these senses are Standard, even the use in baseball jargon. See also BUCK. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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