Word of the Day, January 22: 'Bilk'

Word of the day: BILK
Pronunciation: ˈbilk UK/bɪlk/ and US/bɪlk/

Meaning:
'Bilk' means to cheat, defraud, or swindle someone—especially by avoiding payment or withholding what is owed.

Origin and History:

The word bilk originated in the mid-17th century, likely from cribbage card game slang, meaning to spoil an opponent's score, possibly as a variant of "balk" (to hinder), evolving to mean cheating or swindling someone out of money or by deception, with the person committing the act also called a "bilker".
The word "bilk" was first recorded in the mid-1600s.
The verb form of the word is believed to have first appeared around 1647 in the writings of poet John Cleveland. The noun form was recorded slightly earlier, in the 1630s.
Language historians suggest that "bilk" may have originated as a term used in the card game of cribbage, possibly as an alteration of the word "balk". The initial meaning related to spoiling an opponent's score in the game, before evolving into the more general sense of "to defraud" in the 1670s.
Over time, its meaning narrowed and sharpened to focus mainly on financial fraud.

Cultural significance and modern usage:

In cribbage, a "bilk" was originally not considered cheating but a legitimate strategy. It meant playing a card that would strategically hinder an opponent from scoring points in their "crib" (a pile of discarded cards that only the dealer scores at the end of the hand).
By the late 17th century, the meaning had evolved from a card game manoeuvre to the more
It is frequently used to describe large-scale fraud, such as a conman who "bilked investors out of millions of dollars" through schemes like those run by Bernie Madoff.

Interesting facts:

Examples from literature:

There were only a few vendors, and all were engaged in harried negotiations with rebels, lean and sullen and above all bored, jostling and shoving and bilking as a way to pass the time.- Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
Next with drinks they style "teetotal" he his manhood must degrade; Swilling effervescent syrups—"ice-cream-soda," "raspberry-ade," Koumiss tempts his jaded palate—payment he's obliged to bilk— Then, reduced to destitution, finds forgetfulness in—milk!- Mr Punch's Model Music Hall Songs and Dramas by F. Anstey
He was all for having your four bones in the block-house, and yourself on the twister; and he's not a cove to be bilked out of his tin.- Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

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Published: 22 January 2026, 08:00 AM IST