balked Definition

balk
baulk
verb balked, balking

intr
1. To hesitate, or refuse to go on, because of some obstacle.

Thesaurus: refuse, turn down, demur, desist, resist, shirk.
Form: balk at something (usually)
2. To check or block.

Thesaurus: frustrate, thwart, hinder, prevent, defeat, foil, forestall, obstruct, stall, check.

noun

1. snooker.
The part of the table behind a line (called the balk line) near one end, from within which the start and restarts are made.

Etymology: 14c, meaning ‘to plough in ridges', from Anglo-Saxon balca ridge.