Straight young trees after they are felled and squared; a beam or timber used for temporary purposes, and under 8 inches square. Balks, of timber of any squared size, as mahogany, intended for planks, or, when very large, for booms or rafts.
·vt To leave or make balks in. II. Balk ·vt To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. III. Balk ·vi A ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
a quarter-staff. N. ...
A glossary of provincial and local words used in England by Francis Grose