To refuse to do something or to hesitate in a stubborn way, often used in baseball when a pitcher makes an illegal motion.
From Middle English 'balken,' possibly from Old Norse 'balkr' (ridge or beam). Originally meant to leave unplowed land, then evolved to mean stopping abruptly or refusing to proceed.
The word 'balk' in baseball is literally a rule against deception—pitchers can't fake a throw anymore than a plow could fake turning at a field's boundary!
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