E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bilk.
To cheat, to obtain goods and decamp without paying for them.
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“The landlord explained it by saying that ‘a bilk’ is a man who never misses a meal and never pays a cent.”—A. K. McClure: Rocky Mountains letter xxii. p. 211.
To “bilk” in cribbage is to spoil your adversaries’ score; to balk him. Perhaps the two words are mere variants.
To “bilk” in cribbage is to spoil your adversaries’ score; to balk him. Perhaps the two words are mere variants.
