READERS always come up trumps. Last week I asked if anyone could solve a poser set by old pal Norman Wilcock -- the origin of the word fawce in local usage.

The only problem is I got three different versions. Keith Hayes, of Landside, Leigh, believes it could be derived from fausse, the feminine adjective (of course) of the French word meaning false, deceitful.

A Golborne contributor suggested it could be a corruption of the french word faux and G Rigby of Rothay Street, Leigh, suggests it is a combination of the first letters of For A Weeks Cash Entry by a wages clerk.

The mill owner did not only find his worker a job he also found him a house. Now this is the fawce -- he stopped the rent out of their wages and never got any bad debt.

Take your pick.

And like Keith says what we now need is someone to explain the local saying "as fawce as a bag of monkeys"!