bilk

****************************************************************
The dictionary of the future has arrived! Check out the 3-in-1
format of the Eleventh Edition of our Collegiate Dictionary!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?c11.htm&1
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for September 15 is:

bilk   \BILK\   verb 
     1 : to block the free development of : frustrate 
     2 *a : to cheat out of something valuable : defraud b : to evade payment 
of or to 
     3 : to slip away from

Example sentence:
      "I've been bilked of my food rights as a human member of this family!" 
protested Jason, when he heard the dog had been given the last hamburger.

Did you know?
     Initially, "bilking" wasn't considered cheating -- just good strategy for 
cribbage players. Language historians aren't sure where "bilk" originated, but 
they have noticed that its earliest uses occur in contexts referring to 
cribbage. Part of the scoring in cribbage involves each player adding cards 
from his or her hand to a pile of discards called the "crib." At the end of a 
hand, the dealer gets any points in the crib. Strategically, then, it's wisest 
for the dealer's opponent to discard non-scoring cards -- the ones most likely 
to "balk," or put a check on, the dealer's score. Etymologists theorize that 
"bilk" may have originated as an alteration of that card-game "balk."





You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102