# Origin of English, as on a Cue-Ball

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-english-as-on-a-cue-ball/304642>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 19, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-english-as-on-a-cue-ball/304642 "2005-05-19T21:36:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-english-as-on-a-cue-ball/304642/21 "2011-09-19T20:24:56Z")

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> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#):
>
> * * *
> 
> And what would our brethren across the pond refer to this as?

[historical aside] In Shakespeare there are many uses of the word “rub” for this effect on a ball, as in

Hamlet’s “… To die, to sleep;  
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub…”

[/historical aside]

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-english-as-on-a-cue-ball/304642/22 "2011-09-19T20:42:13Z")

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> [@aeschliman](#):
>
> I believe FRYLOCK is on the right track with one of the explanations of the term ‘ENGLISH" as it applies to billiards. The story I have heard for the last 50 years is that prior to leather tips being used, spin on the cue ball was nearly impossible. In the 1850"s or so, an english gentleman visited the United States and put on several pool demonstrations. He had equipped the end of his cue with a leather pad and was able to impart spinning motions to the cue ball. This, not having been seen before, registered in the minds of many billiard addicts. Whether or not his name was English or just that he was English, the term of spinning the cue ball was forever associated with "ENGLISH’. I cannot attest that this is entirely true, but I have heard this many times in my life.

I came in here to see if this had been mentioned. I have heard the Anglais/English, and I have heard this - that an “English” came and put on a show using a better-leather-tipped cue that enabled spin moves and such and so that type of approach was referred to as English…

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