As you assert, the word "cue" comes from the French but from the abbreviated word "cu" meaning a "direction in the Actors' copies of plays." Also thought to originate from the French, "queue" which literally meant "tail." So us ol' ignorant South Dakota boys knowed you cudn't hit a ball with an actor's page of directions or with a tail; you had to have a stick with it. So take that "queue" and put it you know where along with your limited knowledge of French. In so far as using large balls on a table with small holes, it just goes to show how little you know about the game. Large balls don't go into small holes. Small balls can go into large holes but not the opposite. 9 Ball is also a game with which I have passing familiarity and I shall be glad to let you choose the game, having thrown down the cudgel. <g>