He was a steady-handed shooter with a heavy stick and the ability to back a ball up or make it spin left or right and position a queue ball behind the next shot to be taken–unique skills, even before Minnesota Fats.

[…] will not get them gone for plain English, we will have one of Father Bacon's pupils from Oxford, to conjure [troublesome thoughts] away with logic and with Hebrew — Or, what say you to laying them in a glorious red sea of claret, my noble guest?

She was brought to us by two richly-attired lacqueys, replied the man, in this very litter.

He was wearing his formal attire.