english

See also: English

English

Alternative forms

• English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡlɪʃ
• Homophone: English

Noun

english (uncountable)

1. Spinning or rotary motion given to a ball around the vertical axis, as in billiards or bowling.

   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^[1], performed by Dr. Dre, Ruthless Records:

     Some drop science, while I'm dropping english.

   • 1993, Thomas Cripps, Making Movies Black‎^[2], 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

• (spinning motion): side, spin, sidespin

Translations

spinning or rotary motion around the vertical axis

• Chechen: ингалс (ingals)
• Finnish: sivukierre
• French: ^{(please verify)} anglais (fr)
• Hindi: अंग्रेज़ी (hi) (aṅgrezī) (angrezi)
• Polish: angielski (pl)
• Romanian: english (ro)
• Spanish: inglés (es)
• Swahili: zunguka
• Tamil: (literally) ஆங்கிலம் (ta) (āṅkilam)

See also

• body English

Anagrams

• Hingles, shingle