a. (adv., sb.) Obs.; also 5–7 awke, 6–7 auk(e, 7 awck. [prob. a. ON. afug, öfug, öfig (Sw. afvig) turned the wrong way, back foremost, cogn. with OHG. apuh, apah, MHG. ebech, ebich, mod.G. dial. äbich, OS. aƀich, aƀoh; a deriv. of af away, identified by Fick with OSkr. apák, apáñch ‘turned away.’ Old Northumbrian has *afuh in afu(h)lic ‘perverse,’ in Prol. to Lindisf. Gospels; but the later use of the word was probably from ON. The phonetic change of afug to awk, is the same as in hafoc, hawk.] A. adj.
1. Directed the other way or in the wrong direction, back-handed, from the left hand.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 18. Awke or wronge, sinister.
1530. Palsgr., 196. Auke stroke, reuers.
1557. K. Arthur (Copl.), V. x. With an awke stroke gaue hym a grete wounde.
1634. Malory’s Arthur, I. xcvii. 172.
2. Untoward, froward, perverse, in nature or disposition.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 18. Awke or angry, contrarius, bilosus, perversus.
1567. Maplet, Gr. Forest, 25. A preposterous maner in judging, and an awke wit.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, xix. (1617), 331. The awk opinions of the Stoicks.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 836. Our natures more crooked, inconstant, awk, and perverse.
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., II. 533. The soul, awke and listlesse enough to any duty.
3. Out-of-the-way, odd, strange. rare.
c. 1440. Morte Arth., 13. Off elders of alde tyme and of theire awke dedys.
4. Untoward to deal with, awkward to use, clumsy.
1593. G. Harvey, New Lett. The roughest and awkest things are not so cumbersome.
1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., 152. Birds … build nests with such an auk tool, their beak.
B. adv. in phrases:
1. To ring awk: the wrong way, backward.
1636. S. Ward, Serm. (1862), 91. When the bells ring awke, every man brings his bucket to the quenching of this fire.
1647. Ward, Simp. Cobler, 38. The bells in all the steeples will ring awke.
1694. R. L’Estrange, Fables, ccci. Ringing as Awk as the Bells, to give notice of the Conflagration.
2. To sing awk: in sinister or ill-omened wise.
1600. Holland, Livy, VI. xli. 247. What if a bird sing auke or crowe crosse and contrarie [occinuerit]?
C. sb. (so the neuter of the adj. in OHG.) Backhandedness, untowardness, awkwardness.
1644. Bulwer, Chiron., 128. To fling words at his Auditors out of the Auke of utterance.
1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., 108. What we have hitherto spoken, will seem to have less of auk in it.
