Baulk

'And am I to plunge a harpoon into that beast!' 'That's your privilege, my son,' said Malone, 'and, sad to relate, unless I give it a miss in baulk, I shall have to be at your side when you do it.'

What made those holes and rents / In the dock's harsh swarth leaves, bruised as to baulk / All hope of greenness?

As he talked, slowly, quietly, I had the impression that it must surely be an accident that had happened, but that his mind, unhinged by tragedy, baulked at Anna’s death.

What wasn't done was the second part of the work to add Piccadilly's two new through platforms. The Department for Transport baulked at Network Rail's price, but nonetheless May 2018's timetable increased services to 15tph. Punctuality dropped.

Colleagues and confidants describe Yaccarino as a conservative. But when I ask about her personal politics, she baulks.