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To bilk things is to thwart them or hinder them, and to bilk people is to cheat them out of their money. Bilking was originally something you did to your adversaries in the game of cribbage, spoiling their scores, so you can see how bilk developed into a synonym for trick, swindle, and thwart.
Bilk joins aboveboard, kibitz, and vie on our list of words that originated from card games. For each, can you explain both the literal and more general meaning?
make your point with...
"BILK"
To bilk people is to cheat them out of their money.
That's the most common meaning. But you can also bilk abstract things, like hopes or expectations, which means you thwart them or deceive them.
Pronunciation:
BILK (rhymes with "milk")
Part of speech:
Transitive verb.
(Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object.
You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone.
Likewise, you bilk something or someone.)
Other forms:
bilked, bilking
How to use it:
Talk about employers bilking employees out of their fair share of wages, companies bilking customers by adding hidden fees, real estate developers bilking hardworking contractors out of their earnings, shady online schools bilking their students, agencies and scammers shamelessly bilking veterans and the elderly, and so on.
Notice in the examples above that you can simply get bilked, or you can get bilked out of what you deserved. Also, people bilk certain amounts of money from people ("the scammers bilked millions from their victims"), and people bilk others of certain amounts of money ("the scammers bilked their victims of millions of dollars").
To be abstract, talk about bilking (thwarting, deceiving, or sneaking away from) hopes, expectations, dreams, desires, plans, and even fate.
However you use "bilk," remember that it comes from the card game cribbage--so bilking is always like a sneaky move or a mean little trick.
examples:
When the product he'd backed on Kickstarter was delayed by months, then by years, he wondered if he'd been bilked.
Watch out for this scam on Amazon: you think you're buying an entire series of novels, but instead you get a poorly written two-page review of those novels--and then you're bilked of a petty $2.99.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bilk" means when you can explain it without saying "swindle" or "cheat."
try it out:
Think of a scam you've noticed. Fill in the blanks: "_____ was a brazen attempt to bilk (certain people) out of (a certain amount)."
Example: "The 'convenience fee' was a brazen attempt to bilk students out of another 2% of their tuition."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.
Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus. The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy!
From yesterday: At your office, a friend who always wears light, beautiful, silky dresses comes breezing by your desk every morning to update you on all the juicy rumors. She's a ________ ________. (Two words of three syllables each. Clue: use this word.)
Answer: gossamer gossiper.
Try this today: The first airport to schedule international commercial flights was London's Hounslow Heath Aerodrome. Though it closed in 1920, it retains a historical significance as the seed of international commercial aviation. It was a ________ ________. (Two words of three syllables each. Clue: use this word.)
review today's word:
1. A close opposite of BILK is
A. ASSIST
B. BRING
C. CONDONE
2. The sales team managed to bilk him _____.
A. into buying an actual boat
B. beyond his own credit card limit
C. of his life savings in a time-share scheme
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. C
To bilk things is to thwart them or hinder them, and to bilk people is to cheat them out of their money. Bilking was originally something you did to your adversaries in the game of cribbage, spoiling their scores, so you can see how bilk developed into a synonym for trick, swindle, and thwart.
"BILK" To bilk people is to cheat them out of their money. Part of speech:
When the product he'd backed on Kickstarter was delayed by months, then by years, he wondered if he'd been bilked.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bilk" means when you can explain it without saying "swindle" or "cheat."
Think of a scam you've noticed. Fill in the blanks: "_____ was a brazen attempt to bilk (certain people) out of (a certain amount)."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A close opposite of BILK is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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