To put on English
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In billiards, to apply spin to the ball.
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 “To put on English” mean?
In billiards, to apply spin to the ball.
Is “To put on English” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.