Meaning
To rest, perch, or prop something temporarily — and also to stay somewhere briefly or lodge on a short-term, informal basis. To 'cotch' a thing is to balance or prop it in a makeshift way, and to 'cotch' at a friend's place is to crash there for a while, not permanently. The word implies a temporary, unsteady, or borrowed position, with no exact single English equivalent, and it runs through the whole make-do life of perching, propping, and finding a spot to rest or stay a while.
Examples
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Mi jus a cotch yah fi a few day.
I'm just staying here for a few days.
Implies temporary, informal lodging rather than living there.
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Cotch di board pon di wall.
Prop the board against the wall.
Physical sense of resting one thing on another.
-
Mek mi cotch pon di chair likkle bit.
Let me rest on the chair a little while.
'likkle bit' means for a short moment.
Origin
Believed to derive from English 'scotch' (to prop or wedge), with the initial 's' dropped in Jamaican pronunciation.
How it’s used
Informal and everyday. Asking to 'cotch' at someone's place is a casual request to crash there briefly; requesting long-term stay would be a different matter.