bilk

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

bilk, v. t. [Origin unknown. Cf. Balk.].

 To frustrate or disappoint; to deceive or defraud, by nonfulfillment of engagement; to leave in the lurch; to give the slip to; as, to bilk a creditor.  Thackeray.  [1913 Webster]

bilk, n. 

•  A thwarting an adversary in cribbage by spoiling his score; a balk.  [1913 Webster]
•  A cheat; a trick; a hoax.  Hudibras.  [1913 Webster]
•  Nonsense; vain words.  B. Jonson.  [1913 Webster]
•  A person who tricks a creditor; an untrustworthy, tricky person.  Marryat.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bilk, v.tr. sl.
1 cheat.
2 give the slip to.
3 avoid paying (a creditor or debt).

Derivative

bilker n.

Etymology

orig. uncert., perh. = BALK: earliest use (17th c.) in cribbage, = spoil one's opponent's score

THESAURUS

bilk

avoid, baffle, balk, beat, beguile of, bunco, burn, cast down, cheat, chisel, chouse, chouse out of, circumvent, cog, cog the dice, con, cozen, crib, cross, dash, defeat, defeat expectation, defraud, diddle, disappoint, disillusion, dissatisfy, do, do in, do out of, dodge, double, duck, elude, eschew, euchre, evade, finagle, flam, fleece, flimflam, fob, foil, frustrate, fudge, gouge, gull, gyp, have, hocus, hocus-pocus, let down, mulct, overreach, pack the deal, pigeon, practice fraud upon, rook, ruin, scam, screw, sell gold bricks, shake, shave, shortchange, shun, shy, stack the cards, stick, sting, swindle, take a dive, tantalize, tease, thimblerig, throw a fight, thwart, victimize

ROGET THESAURUS

bilk

Stealing

VB steal, thieve, rob, mug, purloin, pilfer, filch, prig, bag, nim, crib, cabbage, palm, abstract, appropriate, plagiarize, convey away, carry off, abduct, kidnap, crimp, make off with, walk off with, run off with, run away with, spirit away, seize, plunder, pillage, rifle, sack, loot, ransack, spoil, spoliate, despoil, strip, sweep, gut, forage, levy blackmail, pirate, pickeer, maraud, lift cattle, poach, smuggle, run, badger, bail up, hold up, stick up, bunco, bunko, filibuster, swindle, peculate, embezzle, sponge, mulct, rook, bilk, pluck, pigeon, fleece, defraud, obtain under false pretenses, live by one's wits, rob Peter to pay Paul, borrow of Peter to pay Paul, set a thief to catch a thief, disregard the distinction between meum and tuum, fence, launder, launder money.

Disappointment

VB be disappointed, look blank, look blue, look aghast, stand aghast, find to one's cost, laugh on the wrong side of one's mouth, find one a false prophet, not realize one's hope, not realize one's expectation, disappoint, frustrate, discomfit, crush, defeat (failure), crush one's hope, dash one's hope, balk one's hope, disappoint one's hope, blight one's hope, falsify one's hope, defeat one's hope, discourage, balk, jilt, bilk, play one false, play a trick, dash the cup from the lips, tantalize, dumfound, dumbfound, dumbfounder, dumfounder (astonish).

Deception

VB deceive, take in, defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize, abuse, mystify, blind one's eyes, blindfold, hoodwink, throw dust into the eyes, dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle, trick, impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon, snatch a verdict, bluff off, bluff, bunko, four flush, gum, spoof, stuff (a ballot box), circumvent, overreach, outreach, out wit, out maneuver, steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle, entrap, intrap, ensnare, nick, springe, set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for, bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime, trapan, trepan, kidnap, let in, hook in, nousle, nousel, blind a trail, enmesh, immesh, shanghai, catch, catch in a trap, sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's credulity, hum, humbug, gammon, stuff up, sell, play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on, balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale, fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand, make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of, trifle with, cajole, flatter, come over, gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon, dissemble, cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck, live by one's wits, play at hide and seek, obtain money under false pretenses, conjure, juggle, practice chicanery, deacon, play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off, lie, misinform, mislead, betray, be deceived.