english

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See also: English

English

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Uncertain. It is speculated to relate either to people from England introducing the technique for billiards or bowling in the United States, or perhaps from a particular person with the surname English.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

english (uncountable)

  1. (uncountable, Canada, US) Spinning or rotary motion given to a ball around the vertical axis, as in pool, billiards or bowling; spin, sidespin.
    You can't hit it directly, but maybe if you give it some english.
    • 2005, S. Moran, Bronx Boy: Book One of The Zombie Island Trilogy, page 179:
      There was a magical way of putting English on the dice to result in a six.
  2. (by extension, figurative) An unusual or unexpected interpretation of a text or idea, a spin, a nuance.
    • 1988, Andre Romelle Young (lyrics and music), “Express Yourself”, in Straight Outta Compton, performed by Dr. Dre, Ruthless Records:
      Some drop science, while I'm dropping english.
    • 1993, Thomas Cripps, Making Movies Black, page 94:
      Preston Sturgis in his Sullivan’s Travels (1942) put some english on the idea in a bit about a filthy, defeated, white chaingang that is invited to a rural black church for an evening of old movies.
Synonyms
Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Verb

english (third-person singular simple present englishes, present participle englishing, simple past and past participle englished)

  1. (transitive; archaic or rare) Alternative form of English.
    • 1930, Kemp Malone, “The Terminology of Anglistics.”, in The English Journal, volume 19, number 8, →JSTOR, page 645:
      Eduard Sievers and his followers have, in recent years, raised the study of speech rhythm to the rank of a special science, which they call Schallanalyse, a name best englished as rhythmics.

References

  1. ^ english” under English”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2008.

Anagrams