Dear Bernard,
Many, many years ago, whilst working in Colombo, friends and I used to play an after-dinner game – our version of “Call My Bluff”. One evening, I challenged them with the word “Sawney”. I found it during a trawl of a dictionary. As we both know, Sawney means “Scottish simpleton”. Needless to say, I totally flummoxed my fellow players (some of whom were Scots and should have known better). Until I read Sharpe’s Triumph, I have never seen (or heard) the word in over 30 years. So imagine my delight when I came across it in one of your novels. How the devil did you know it? Incidentally, I am a former Green Jacket (1967/71) so absolutely love the series about Sharpe. Thanks for endless hours of contented reading.
Best wishes,
Clive Burgess