REGARDING Lancashire dialect (Soapbox - LET, April 13), three phrases which spring to my mind when discussing it are:

'In Dickies' meadow (meader)' meaning 'in lots of trouble.' It's a 'Darren' phrase that I heard when I first came to Darwen in 1977.

'Bury t' wood in t'hole' meaning 'close the door.' This is a phrase which was popular all over Lancashire at one time and in particular in Oldham, where I was born.

'Dancing down t'ginnel' meaning 'going down the alleyway.' Again this is an Oldham phrase.

These three phrases are all I remember these days of the expressions my grandmother once used and what we took for granted as being 'Lanky twang.'

In his article, Jim Atherton mentioned local poets such as Edwin Waugh and Samuel Laycock. For his information, Darwen had a poet of its own who specialised in this kind of dialect. His name was 'Bobbin' Sam' and he was one of the very first teachers of 'Darrenese.' Books in the Darwen reference library tell a little about this man.

DUNCAN McVEE, Robin Bank Road, Darwen.

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