balky

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“
It seemed balky, the choices were limited and the delivery was ragged.

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Definitions (5)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. adjective Given to stopping and refusing to go on: a balky horse; a balky client.
  2. adjective Difficult to operate or start: a balky switch; a balky engine.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • The chief scout was laboring to control a balky, powerful-looking mule that had been relieved of its pack. —  Julian, May - Boreal Moon 01 - Conqueror's Moon
  • The first word processor was klunky and balky, handling just one file at a time, and you had to close the file to save it. —  Up In A Heaval
  • The mechanism grated like a balky stick shift in an old car and the gun twisted awkwardly in my grip. —  Persuader by Lee Child
  • The Mary' s motor was small and balky, a luxury to make docking a sailboat in tight quarters easier; it would have to work hard tonight. —  FSF,May2004
  • After opening with a 70 that could have been much better if not for a balky putter, Woods lost ground to the leaders on Friday. —  FOXSports.com News
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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/ˈbɔki/
by American Heritage

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