One of the books that Father Christmas brought me last month has got me thinking about Swindon. It’s Dent’s Modern Tribes, by Susie Dent, the Dictionary Corner lady from Countdown, a lovely book about the ‘secret’ lingo associated with various occupations and pastimes. Sadly, though, it doesn’t include regional language, which is a shame because I would like to see somebody write a book about words and sayings that were peculiar to Swindon, which are now in danger of dying and being forgotten. Some phrases, like working “inside” (in the Railway Works) or the annual holiday, which became “Trip”, are well documented, but others could be lost. And language is heritage too.