All 8 Uses of
balk
in
Lonesome Dove
- July got the job, but Benny remained resentful and had balked at even providing a new lock for the jail's one cell.†
Chpt 26-27 *
- Lorena's mare balked and wouldn't take the water.†
Chpt 30-31
- Now he balked.†
Chpt 54-55
- She wouldn't balk at it, if he could keep her wanting him.†
Chpt 19-20
- "I may just balk in Ogallala," he said out loud.†
Chpt 34-35
- "Well, balk any time you want to, Gus," he said.†
Chpt 34-35
- It was only when the men loped off to hunt that the mules were likely to balk.†
Chpt 52-53
- Clara set such a stiff price for her horses that Call was tempted to balk.†
Chpt 87-88
Definitions:
-
(1)
(balk) to hesitate, refuse, or stop suddenly
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less common specialized meanings:
Baseball: an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base
Equestrian: when a horse refuses to obey a rider -- especially when stopping in front of a jump
Billiards: an area of the billiard table from which opening shots with the cue ball are made
Bowling: when a bowler stops in mid-swing without releasing the ball
Badminton: any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the service
Archeology: a side wall of an excavated partition of earth left standing between adjoining excavation units
Agriculture: a strip of ground left unplowed as a boundary line between two plowed portions
Architecture: one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
Carpentry: a thick piece of unfinished wood