Balk

1. To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to /hwart; as, to balk expectation.
2. A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks."
3. To leave or make balks in.
4. One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.
5. To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk.
6. A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball.
7. To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition.
8. A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.
9. To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.
10. A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside.
11. To omit, miss, or overlook by chance.
12. To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.
13. To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles.
14. A hindrance or disappointment; a check.