Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference - baulk

v. & n. (also balk) --v. 1 intr. a refuse to go on. b (often foll. by at) hesitate. 2 tr. a thwart, hinder. b disappoint. 3 tr. a miss, let slip (a chance etc.). b ignore, shirk. --n. 1 a hindrance; a stumbling-block. 2 a a roughly-squared timber beam. b a tie-beam of a house. 3 Billiards etc. the area on a billiard-table from which a player begins a game. 4 Baseball an illegal action made by a pitcher. 5 a ridge left unploughed between furrows. Derivatives baulker n. Etymology: OE balc f. ON b{aacute}lkr f. Gmc