balk
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- Senior Lexiterian
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balk
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.
William A. Hupy
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: balk
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.
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.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: balk
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.
pl
Re: balk
* is curious and checks the googles *...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.
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.)).
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- Grand Panjandrum
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Re: balk
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
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
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