putting on side
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Giving oneself airs; being bumptious. To put on side in billiards is to give your ball a twist or spin with the cue as you strike it.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “putting on side” mean?
Giving oneself airs; being bumptious. To put on side in billiards is to give your ball a twist or spin with the cue as you strike it.
Is “putting on side” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.