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balk

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 11:35 am
by William Hupy
Interesting that this word started as a noun for a ridge between two plowed furrows and is entirely Germanic in origin. I can picture a couple of oxen balking at crossing a heavy mound of earth.

Re: balk

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:30 pm
by Philip Hudson
Should the Good Doctor choose balk as a Good Word, he might praise William for not balking at suggesting it. It would be a good choice. The word has taken a rather wobbly course in definition from being: the ridge between two furrows in a field; to a piece of timber; to a refusal or hesitation to move forward; to what a baseball pitcher does (I have no idea what a baseball pitcher does).

I remember my dad calling the ridge beam of a roof the balk. My experience has been with draft animals, particularly mules, which were said to be balky. In the second grade, I balked at writing a letter to Santa because, in my iconoclastic home, there was no Santa. Don’t pity me. Being odd makes one strong.

The word came into English from Proto-Gmc. with lots of cognates in many languages, mostly as beams of wood or wooden structures. It moved through Italian to us as balcony.

Re: balk

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:49 pm
by Perry Lassiter
A pitcher balks when he goes into his windup, starts to throw, and then stops. Wikipedia quotes a multipllicity of rules that can lead to balks. This year in the major leagues faking a throw to third and pitching to first instead is a balk. In most balks any runners advance one base. I pity the umps who have to digest all the pettifoggery. Come to think of it, pettifoggery might be a good word in itself.

Re: balk

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:42 pm
by Slava
Come to think of it, pettifoggery might be a good word in itself.
Not exactly the word you are looking for, but perhaps this will suit.

Re: balk

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:46 pm
by gailr
...the ridge between two furrows in a field; to a piece of timber; ... I remember my dad calling the ridge beam of a roof the balk.
* is curious and checks the googles *
bulkhead
bulkhead (n.)
late 15c., with head (n.); the first element perhaps from bulk "framework projecting in the front of a shop" (1580s), which is perhaps from Old Norse bolkr "beam, balk" (see balk (n.)).

Re: balk

Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:47 am
by David Myer
There is an element of 'obstacle' in most of the meanings of balk (baulk in my language). So having just read this debate from 2013, I wonder if somehow 'bulwark' is related? I can't find anything connecting them, but both German in origin.

Incidentally, as well as the baulk line on a billiard table we have one (two actually) in croquet, behind which games must start. I must say, I can't quite see the connection between hesitation/obstacles and starting lines, but there you go.

David