stymie

Meaning

1. A situation where an opponent's ball is directly in the way of one's own ball and the hole, on the putting green (abolished 1952).
2. An obstacle or obstruction.

be thwarted

be nonplussed

problem situation

to present an obstacle to

stop

🛑

to stand in the way of

be in the way

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈstaɪmi/

From the meaning in golf (where the stymie ball blocks the other ball from "seeing" the hole), perhaps from Scots stymie, stimie (“person with poor eyesight”), from Scots stime (“the least bit”). Or from Scots styme (“tiny bit, glimmer”) as in se nocht ane styme (“not to see a glimmer (of something)”). If so, it is a doublet of stime.