What does "awk" mean?

Awk: Wrong, or not commonly used; clumsy; sinister; as, the awk end of a rod (the but end). [Obs.] Golding.

Additional senses

  1. 2.Clumsy in performance or manners; unhandy; not dexterous; awkward. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
  2. 3.Perversely; in the wrong way. L'Estrange.

Sources