A weird phrase I only ever see on Mumsnet.

[Pinksalamanda]

I'm really curious if anyone else has noticed this.

I keep seeing, only on Mumsnet, people using the phrase "stays" instead of "lives".

For example on a currently active post, the OP says "he stays in a city near by". And I see this a lot.

In all the scenarios I have seen it, they are definitely not talking about a temporary situation, holiday, etc.

I don't know if it's right or wrong (and don't massively care), but I've just noticed it increasingly being used on here recently and I wonder if anyone else has?

I think it might be a bit of an Americanism, but I don't see it being used elsewhere.

Yeah that's a Scottish thing too...although not sure if more a West of Scotland thing? I always remember when I was young, my cousin that stayed (lol) in East of Scotland got quite offended when I said we were going to 'my Grandpa's house'...she was quick to point out that he is her Grandpa too 😂maybe some Fifers can tell me if it's uncommon there or if it was just her that took offence?

I love hearing regional / national and international colloquialisms. I'm in the north west and use side frequently. I also know a lot of Scottish and I'm familiar with stay. one that I heard years ago, confused me, when my friend said she was going to get her messages and I asked messages from who ?where you going to get them ?But she just meant her shopping.
I used to talk online to somebody who is American and he loved hearing English expressions I once described somebody as 'bone idle' and he couldn't wait to try and find a way to get that into conversation himself.
I love how You can travel 20 minutes in the UK and find people using different words

Talk of messages confused me at first but soon cottoned on. I found it was mainly older folk who say it.
Also piece.
Would you like a piece (or a fancy piece)?

• meaning something with your tea/coffee like a cake or biscuit. Love the local colloquisms.

Friends from Glasgow call the end crust of bread the heel.

My Scottish family and friends use stays instead of lives.
The older ones put a y on the end of lots of words. For example, panny instead of pan. I'm used to it but I imagine it sounds unusual!

A piece is a sandwich, never heard of it being a cake/biscuit...but always makes me laugh when I think people might confuse it with reference to a gun 😂

I'd say put the keys in the kitchen, or leave them near the post pile , or on the kitchen surface , ( if it wasn't in it's usual mess). I rarely hear people using "side " in the sense of a worktop down south, Hants Berkshire

Stay is common all over Scotland. I'm NE and we definitely say it. I'd also say "my mum".

There's also clap for pat. My sister asked her English niece if she'd like to clap the dog ie give it a pat. The wee girl looked confused then gave it a round of applause.

My South African relatives ask me, 'Where do you stay?' and the first time I responded 'When?'

They're asking where I live.

There's also the Devon 'Where you to?'. It compliments the Southern 'Where're you going?' or 'Where you going?' (or 'Wher'ye going?') and isn't that far away from 'Where to?'.

This is a Scottish phrase. We use it all the time in place of “lives”.

Yes, Scottish.

likewise lots of regions say “stopped / stopping” as in “are you stopping in? Stopping for a brew” etc. I had a Scottish colleague who had never heard of that.

Not young person talk - my Granny who was born in the 1800’s would say this 😂

Stays is Scottish.

Umm what?

Yeah lots of memes before the Tartan Army headed to Boston to warn them not to say they were “packing a piece” for the trip. 😄

Common in London and the South East too.

My kids used to have a play piece for playtime at school,

My Scottish friend used to say 'Fae nowhere' to me every time I said something random and out of context. I still use it 😁.

Has anybody pointed out it's Scottish yet?

Just what I was about to say !

Umm, I'm Glaswegian and would use "stays" instead of lives totally naturally and no-one would misunderstand. It's Scottish (at least - likely other places as well) and definitely not American or only on Mumsnet. This just makes you sound quite ignorant of dialect, or indeed the existence of other parts of the world or even UK.

You guys might like how "meet" is used in Ireland. It can mean to snog.

Na, that's an outsider

Definitely an outsider in Glasgow.

Scottish.