A FORTNIGHT ago we invited readers to celebrate the local dialect by asking for words and phrases distinctive to St Helens.

And we had plenty of responses with arguably the split – chips and peas – coming top of the list.

But readers came up with plenty of other sayings – although admittedly some are not exclusive to St Helens.

And they include some of those plenty of folk will not have heard since the 70s.

St Helens born Christine Homer, who now resides in Gloucester, said: “The story brought back memories.

“My dad (Bill Evans) worked at UGB - United Glass Bottles - and used to say 'gowin wom' meaning 'going home'.

“And, I always used to say to my grandchildren ‘move - you're not made at Pilks!”

And Janet Wood rekindled the old chestnut from yesteryear that often divided opinion in town with St Helens being the only place where there was an argument what a moggy is.

Janet, who is 69 and has lived in town all her life, declares: “A moggy in St Helens is a mouse not a cat!”

I am sure plenty of other folk will counter that.

She also offered up the expression: "She looks well," which in St Helens means someone looks awful.

Weak tea is described as looking like maiden’s wee, and asking someone if they were born in a barn, is none to subtle nudge that someone has left the door open.

Dave Webster, who was born in Toll Bar in 1937, had one that will resonate.

He writes: “My mother used to say to me ‘Thar’s as much use as a wet Ecca!’ which means a wet (Liverpool) Echo. Useless because you cannot read it, use it in the loo, or wrap your chips in it!”

Kristian Eccleston had one that plenty who were kids nipping to the sweet shop in the 1970s will recall but must have gone out of fashion.

Kristian writes: “Now I’m not sure if this is a St Helens thing, but my grandad used to send me to the corner shop in Sutton Manor for ‘a bag o’ Spanish’. It was liquorice and we all knew what Spanish was!

“Nobody I’ve met outside of St Helens knows what Spanish is!

“My grandad was born and bred St Helens too.”

Alec Powell recalls other expressions when growing up and as a young man in the 1950s/60s.

He lists: “Graadely - (Our Mam would make us graadely pan of chips.

“Suppin - bouwt (who's round is it - we are drinking from empty glasses.

Kathy Lane supplied a long list including Gone all Maisie (dizzy), I’m stored (full up), go to the foot of our stairs (can’t believe it), chin wag (talk), cat lick (wash), nutty slack (coal fragments), you can grow spuds under them nails (you have dirty fingernails).