possibly this is just recency phenomenon in which case it's still just as annoying*

[cimorene]

Is it just me or is "was sat" erroneously occurring in non-British fanfic narration on the rise over time?

*that is to say, very annoying, but not as annoying as "whilst"

Comments

[twistedchick]

It sounds like one of those verb constructions that originated in Latin but modified over time. Or else, it has a specific use (similar to someone in a courtroom "taking the stand")

[cimorene]

The way it's used (by Brits exclusively I believe) is:

"He was sat comfortably on the sofa reading when he heard a sound", "I'm sat in bed when the phone rings", "She was stood waiting for hours", etc.

(So it's not just 'sat', but I'm not sure if it goes beyond 'sat' and 'stood'.)

But yeah, it does have an odd quaintness that suggests there could be a peculiar story behind it...