Cotch - What does "Cotch" mean in British slang?

While having dinner with an Italian friend, she asked me if I would like to go for a glass of wine, I told her I was very tired and was planning to go and cotch. She nodded and asked me where I was getting and coach to. I quickly explained the spelling and meaning of the word and this is what I am going to share with you all today.

Cotch C-O-T-C-H is a verb meaning to sit, relax and chill out.
We can also use it as an adjective, describing somewhere as cotch means it seems comfortable and capable of being cotched in.

The etymology of this word is widely debated. It is said that it originated from the late 19th century in Jamaican English, used in the sense of "rest or lean on something for support" . Furthermore, it is said that the word stems from the french term "ce coucher" meaning someone who is lazy with no athletic abilities. However Jonathon Green in his Dictionary of Slang claims it is from the Scottish word scotch, meaning "prop up" or support.

Nowadays we can use it in the sense of spending time to relax for example "just been cotching on the sofa since I got in" meaning I have been relaxing on the sofa since I arrived home.

However it has also been used to show you are sleeping or staying somewhere on a temporary basis. For example "looks like I'm cotching at my boyfriends house tonight" meaning I will be sleeping at my boyfriends this evening.

So start using it today! Go home or to a local pub and cotch with your friends!

That’s our word of the day. You can find us on our website https://theslangpodcast.com and from there you can see our transcript and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and many more apps.

Let’s catch up soon to explore our next slang word.

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