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1861 Cleveland (Ohio) Daily Plain Dealer 14 Oct. 4/3 Tricks at Billiards... Immediately after shooting using his cue as a magic wand and flourishing it in the air above the table to give an increased ‘English’ to his ball.

1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xii. 116 You would infallibly put the ‘English’ on the wrong side of the ball.

1877 Chicago Tribune 30 Sept. 8/1 He saw Richard Grant White..miss one shot badly through putting on too much side. ‘Too much English on that,’ said the spectator.

1898 R. Hughes Lakerim Athletic Club xv. 242 Eaton would slash the ball with a stiffened wrist, an elbow swing, and a quick, hard jump into the air at the same time, to put the ‘English’ on.

1915 Manitoba Free Press Evening Bull. 31 Dec. 6/4 The average billiard player goes to the extreme in the use of ‘English’.

1959 Sunday Times 5 Apr. 4/5 The billiard term ‘putting on the english’, which Atticus states is current parlance in American bowling circles. The story goes that an enterprising gentleman from these shores travelled to the United States during the latter part of the last century and impressed the Americans with a demonstration of the effect of ‘side’ on pool or billiard balls. His name was English.

1966 H. Nielsen After Midnight (1967) iii. 53 When Simon tried to close the door..he encountered difficulties. The officer lent a hand. ‘You have to put a little English on it,’ he explained. ‘There's a defect in the catch.’

2007 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 15 June d3 Creamer, a very sharp player, taught James how to handle the cue stick and how to put English on the ball.