Stymie

Imagine, if you will, it is 1857. A couple of golfers are playing a Scottish golf course. Both have golf balls onto the green. Jock takes his putter and lines up to make the putt. He looks and looks again. Finally, he straightens up and exclaims, “Good gawd, Mactavish, you’ve got me stymied!”
 
Stymie: a condition in which an opponent’s ball blocks the hole.
 
Other than that, the origins of the word stymie are unknown. There is a Scottish word stymie (a person who sees poorly), perhaps from early 14th century stime (the least bit).
 
The general use of stymie meaning to block, hinder, thwart, is from 1902.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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