How long ago is the phrase "the other day"?

I've heard the best reasoning for why time seems shorter the older you are. As you age, the same span of time occupies a smaller percentage of your total lifetime up until that point.

When you're 5, a year is 20% of your life so far, and probably closer to half of what you can actually remember. When you're 20, a year is 5% of your life. When you're 50, a year is only 2% of your life so far.

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donnacus@reddit

I have heard a counter theory. Time expands when you are learning new things. Children are learning all the time so time stretches out. The older you get, the fewer new experiences you have, so time seems to contract.

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BouncingSphinx@reddit

Who's to say it's not both?

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ccoakley@reddit

This is probably true, but also remember that COVID fucked everyone’s perception of time. People of all ages were using that term as if a couple years were compressed into a single week. It feels like we’re finally moving past that, but I heard someone use it to refer to 2022 (and I’ll be fucked, because I realize it was someone from work who was fired in 2025, and I almost ended with “the other day”).

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ascaffo@reddit

He's 60 and you're absolutely right.

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JeffTrav@reddit

“Remember when I was using my iPod Shuffle the other day, during Obama’s State of the Union address? Do you remember where I put it?”

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RangerBuzz_Lightbulb@reddit

And surprisingly, yes. She does know where she put it. I will never understand how women just have a catalogue of literally everything stored in their heads

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speedier@reddit

My dad would call me and ask where things are. Even years after I moved away. Chances were good that I did indeed know where things could be found.

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Snezzy_9245@reddit

Absolutely. Not worth looking first. Ask her first.

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WilcoHistBuff@reddit

My mom did this thing where she would add precise detail to “the other day”:

“The other day, last Tuesday, in the early evening while buying groceries, I had a conversation with Bob Smith, the butcher, about his son Kevin. (You remember Kevin—he was a year behind you at school, skinny kid, red hair.) Apparently, Kevin recently, last month in late May, graduated with a physics degree from MIT and is looking for a job. I told Bob, that you might know of people for Kevin to talk to about that. I gave Bob your number and you might expect a call from Kevin, sometime soon, like maybe Tuesday or Wednesday.”

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Cool-Firefighter2254@reddit

I would MUCH prefer this than the stories I hear from my mom: “You know the lady with the thingy at the place? Oh, you know the one, the one with the hair!”

You gotta give me something to work with, lady. I need a NAME or a PLACE or a THINGY or a DATE.

Astonishingly, because I do know her so well, I can often figure who the lady with the hair is.

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Shoddy_Explanation65@reddit

This is me

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AbbreviationsTop4959@reddit

My husband has time blindness. This is exactly what his range is.

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IWantALargeFarva@reddit

This is me. It comes with motherhood.

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Vincitus@reddit

This is my understanding too.

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N3rdyAvocad0@reddit

It could even have been yesterday or this morning if I can't remember that it happened yesterday or this morning!

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Picone-_-@reddit

According to my dad, yesterday. It's frustrating hearing him say something happened the other day when it was just yesterday.

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majandess@reddit

I had to finally tell my son that he had to limit it to within his lifetime. I had a 14 year old being all, "The other day, in Vietnam..."

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FrenchFreedom888@reddit

I've never been sure of an exact span of days but that sounds pretty much right

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Full-Grass-5525@reddit

I use this too. Sometimes I’ll catch myself and say “wait actually it was a few weeks/months ago”.

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Admiral52@reddit

I use it to be intentionally vague about when something happened

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tasukiko@reddit

Depends on who you are talking to. You just have to know the person and what they generally think of/use as the other day. For instance, the other day for me is any time/day which has already happened and is not today.

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Vegetable_Size_8066@reddit

My ex used it to describe times years in the past. 🤦🏻‍♀️ For me, it’s within a range of three days from the current day.

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Citizenerased1989@reddit

Anywhere between yesterday and the day I was born

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NecessaryPopular1@reddit

Some time ago, not too long ago, is like recently — still in sight, happened in the recent past.

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SubstanceNo1544@reddit

Since 1-3 days ago..

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PhotoPrimary7801@reddit

Anytime between yesterday and my birth

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Silly_Personality_73@reddit

Could be 2-3-4 days earlier. Maybe more.

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harpejjist@reddit

Anything from earlier this morning to a few years ago. It literally means "I totally have no idea how long ago, but exactly how far isn't relevant to the rest of the sentence."

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swarmofhyenas@reddit

Before last night

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Zenthane@reddit

Here in Wisconsin that could mean a couple years ago LOL

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KenethSargatanas@reddit

Sometime before yesterday. Probably less than a week in the past. But, some people will stretch that quite a bit.

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sitaraHD@reddit

To me, it's "past yesterday, in the last few days".

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SL13377@reddit

2-3

Not yesterday. That's very specific

And definitely not longer than a week,

Cause that's last week

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What_is_rich@reddit

Less than a week, generally. This phrase means that the time it happened isn’t relevant to the story, but it was fairly recent.

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casapantalones@reddit

Longer ago than yesterday but not that long ago. Days to weeks.

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BusyMap9686@reddit

Within a week.

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Unpopularwaffle@reddit

A day that isn't yesterday, the day before yesterday, or today, but more recently than a week ago, maybe, or two weeks ago. Basically, it's a day in the recent past that you don't actually know which day something happened on, but that it happened.

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rogun64@reddit

Not today.

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resiyun@reddit

In the past year or so

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cardifan@reddit

“The other day” is within about a month for me.

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NoseDesperate6952@reddit

Within the week

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cursearealsword02@reddit

anytime within the past week

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The_Great_19@reddit

I always say it to mean the day before yesterday.

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YOUTUBEFREEKYOYO@reddit

Anywhere from 2 days ago to a year, possibly longer.

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AbilityAdventurous22@reddit

I have a problem where I use this phrase to refer to something that could have been months ago

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JohnnyWall@reddit

Between 4 and 22 days

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EagleEyezzzzz@reddit

I think it’s like 3-20 days.

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rolyoh@reddit

Within the last 2-13 days. At 14 days, it becomes two weeks ago or a couple of weeks ago.

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CAGrilling@reddit

It’s very precisely before yesterday, but after last week.

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Astro_Birch_317@reddit

It depends on who is using it.

For most people, it means, "recently, but I don't remember exactly." It's usually safe to assume it was less than a month ago.

For my spouse, it means, "sometime before today - it could have been yesterday or last month or 15 years ago, but definitely since I've been able to grow facial hair." (This ambiguity stresses me out more than I can explain, by the way.)

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wifespissed@reddit

I was doin' some chorin' the other daaaayyyyy.

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FixergirlAK@reddit

Mostly it means "Before today, but I can't be arsed or can't remember how long exactly it was." It implies that the exact timeframe is unimportant.

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jd6375@reddit

My wife and i had this discussion years ago and she said it can mean any day other than today. Essentially telling me it means whenever she wants it to mean even if that meant i wouldn't know when she was talking about. I tried to disagree and said that's not helpful but was told I was wrong. So...

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Lillie-Bee@reddit

No more than a week or you would say “a week ago” or “last week” or “about a week ago”

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ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit

Just think of it as "recently." It's not a precise term.

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huazzy@reddit

Also depends on the context.

Using this with (say) your employer v. telling a story to friends makes a difference.

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02C_here@reddit

That’s a key point.

MOSTLY at your job, where you see them every day, it means less than a week otherwise you’d say “a week ago” and switch to that unit.

But your monthly book club or bowling league or whatever, it generally means “between the last time I saw you and now.”

And people will be on shortly to contradict me demonstrating the arbitrary nature of it

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ivhokie12@reddit

As I get older "the days are long, but the years are short" gets more and more true. I find myself talking about things that were 5 years ago as though they were last month.

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PrincessWolfie1331@reddit

2006 was several years ago, not 2 decades. I graduated high school 10 years ago in 1999. This is a hill that I will die on.

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mickeymouse4348@reddit

I saw an Obama 2012 bumper sticker the other day and I got sad when I realized that 2012 was 14 years ago

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r2d3x9@reddit

“Back in nineteen thirtyyyyyyyy seven? Or was it nineteen fortyyyyyyy”

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Practical-Ordinary-6@reddit

Back in twenty ought six I was prospecting for gold in my backyard. Din't find nothin'.

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blueraspberryicepop@reddit

Nineteen dickety two

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Just what i was thinking

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abigdickbat@reddit

I love that last sentence.

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ImColdandImTired@reddit

Also depends on how old you are.

If you’re a teenager, it’s sometime in about the last week.

If you’re 20 something’s, in the last month.

With 30s, could be the last six months to a year.

40s? Could have been 5 years ago.

50s? Last decade.

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SgtDoakesSurprise@reddit

Damn…I thought that was a troll response at first (“recently”) but then realized you’re right!

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DennisTheBald@reddit

It extends to when "way back" begins

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Low_Break_1547@reddit

It's not yesterday, or the day before yesterday, or last week. So I'd say between 3 and 5 days approximately.

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Zombie_Bait_56@reddit

I'm 69. "The other day" could be 50 years ago.

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djjolicoeur@reddit

I use it as “this happened within the past week, but I don’t remember which day”

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Actually10000Bees@reddit

I think anywhere between two days and a week.

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General-Tourist-2808@reddit

Within the past week, but not yesterday.

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itds@reddit

Imprecisely, a few days ago. Not yesterday.

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Unusual_Entrance7354@reddit

The other day

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einsteinGO@reddit

If it matters the first question is “when”

But it could be anywhere within the last 7 days, or even further back. Just depends.

The other day my coworker and I split lunch (it was two days ago)

The other day I saw a guy take a dump in the street, what the hell is up on Lincoln (it was 2 weeks ago)

Both are normal to me

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megamanx4321@reddit

Any time before yesterday.

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thedawntreader85@reddit

Ideally its anywhere from one to six days. In reality its any time you can't spacifically remember but wasn't super long ago.

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Reddittoxin@reddit

When I use it I typically mean 1-3 days ago.

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knoxcos@reddit

In my experience no more than three or four days, but not “yesterday”. It is a non-specific phrase.

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Virtual_Job9303@reddit

That’s indeterminate. There are Facebook memes going around that say the poster might mean last week or thirty years ago.

I’m guilty of that.

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quiltsohard@reddit

Not today, not yesterday, not the day before yesterday. Anything longer than that just becomes a vague “the other day”. I’ve started referring to anything that happened between 1995-2005 as “around the turn of the century”

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brendanm720@reddit

Could be the day before yesterday or it could be 5 years ago.

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Patient-Ad-7939@reddit

I use it to mean anywhere from yesterday to 6 months ago

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Key-Bodybuilder-343@reddit

I’ve used this phrase with something that happened more than a decade ago.

So, my opinion is probably a little sus.

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Dobieslawa@reddit

If I am joking with my friends, it could mean anything from yesterday to ten years ago. If I am speaking formally (like with my boss) it would be about 2-3 days ago.

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Ivy7424@reddit

3 days to 16 years

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No_Cardiologist7468@reddit

Any point between my birth and now 😂

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The12th_secret_spice@reddit

I usually just pull context from the sentence.

I was walking the dog the other day and I found $20 (probably a week or less).

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JWP-56@reddit

Anytime between yesterday and the day I was born.

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Livvylove@reddit

After Covid

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hollowbolding@reddit

[waves past vaguely behind me] the past. probably within the week, probably not more than two weeks

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ElefanteAmor@reddit

Some undefined time in the past. At least for me.

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Piggybear87@reddit

The day before yesterday.

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Jill1974@reddit

I’d say it was longer ago than yesterday but not so long as a week ago.

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SuperPomegranate7933@reddit

Either the day before yesterday or any day in the past several weeks.

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jamesbest7@reddit

I’d say anything up to two weeks. Because if it was more than that I think my mine would go to “a couple weeks ago” or “a few weeks ago”.

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FrenchFreedom888@reddit

Nah, for me that could still be "the other day". But this phrase in question isn't designed for being concerned with being accurate. If I am trying to give a specific time something happened, I will be pretty unlikely to use that phrase

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jamesbest7@reddit

Oh yea 100%. It’s usually used very casually when dates and times are pretty unimportant or irrelevant to the conversation.

In general when talking about something of importance or of a serious nature, people tend to be a lot more specific about when it happened.

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Dangerous-Safe-4336@reddit

I generally mean the day before yesterday, but sometimes I lose track of time, so...

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not_that_hardcore@reddit

According to my husband? Anytime between five minutes ago and fifteen years ago.

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Kilordes@reddit

As folks have said it has no specific meaning, but I wanted to point that that's precisely why it exists at all. It's used when describing something that happened recently (for some definition of recently) where the exact amount of time isn't relevant.

If I wanted to describe a funny thing that happened five days ago it would be unusual to start the description with "Five days ago my friend did such-and-such", because it would imply that the fact that it happened exactly five days ago has some relevance.

It would be semantically the same to say "Recently my friend did such-and-such" but that would be considered somewhat formal or even grandiose phrasing. Saying "the other day" conveys informality of the subject being described or discussed.

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mypen-ismadeofcheese@reddit

Anything before yesterday.

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busterdog47@reddit

3-5

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Melodic_Pattern175@reddit

It can be anything between 3 days ago and 30 days ago.

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rohan_rat@reddit

If someone says that, I'll g assume it was sometime within the last week, maybe a bit more, but I'll also assume that the exact day it happened doesn't actually matter for the story.

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espr-the-vr-lib@reddit

For me it's 3-4 days

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Ree1954@reddit

If you are under thirty it means since the last time we met. If you’re over 65 it means “since my kids left for college”.

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Ok_Affect1436@reddit

6 months ago to 6 hours

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jenntasticxx@reddit

If you ask my husband, it could be yesterday. Or last week. Or two years ago.

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Adventurous-Depth984@reddit

2 or 3 days ago.

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slothboy@reddit

It's just "recently" but the point is that the actual day doesn't really matter for the story. "I found $20 doing laundry the other day."

It makes no difference if that event occurred on tuesday or wednesday.

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UnprovenMortality@reddit

2-6 days.

Any shorter is yesterday, and longer is "a week or so ago"

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passisgullible@reddit

In most contexts I would say it means this current week.

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cheyannepavan@reddit

Right. Before yesterday, but less than a week ago (otherwise you'd say last week, a few weeks ago, etc).

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LSATMaven@reddit

That’s what I would say. Less than a week ago.

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JeffTrav@reddit

I’d say sometime in the last 30 days.

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ComparisonOk8602@reddit

Nah, that a couple or a few weeks.

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Total_Tumbleweed_870@reddit

Recently, but usually not more than a week ago.

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jedooderotomy@reddit

Recently. So, I'd say...within the last month or so?

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dwhite21787@reddit

This side of “last week”

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nomoregroundhogs@reddit

Any day that isn’t today

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luthien310@reddit

Or yesterday.

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nomoregroundhogs@reddit

I’d be lying if I said I’d never used it to refer to yesterday

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FrenchFreedom888@reddit

Same

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morganalefaye125@reddit

Anywhere between yesterday and 10 years ago

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Traditional_Trust418@reddit

Just any time in the recent past. Whatever the person telling the story deems recent

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postitpad@reddit

Sometime between 48 hours and a month.

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sahkoo@reddit

Any time between yesterday and a few years ago

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Awkward_Tip1006@reddit

Can be 2 days ago, 5 days ago, last week. Less than 2 weeks ago

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bladel@reddit

Not yesterday, but not a week ago either.

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Crafty-Isopod45@reddit

When I say it sometime between 3 days ago and 2002. I don’t have a great sense of the passage of time. Drives my wife crazy. She can tell you what someone wore on a specific Tuesday 7 years ago and I’m not sure what year that event was in. It’s why I still have a lot of jackets from over a decade ago that I regard as new.

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HeyItsLers@reddit

Well if you ask my husband it could be anything from earlier today to years ago 😆

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LadyB5091@reddit

2 or 3 days ago. When you can't quite remember which one.🙂

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Ordinary_Camel_3456@reddit

It means not yesterday, so anything before that.

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revolutionoverdue@reddit

3 days to 3 weeks

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SouthernCancel6117@reddit

I think it also matters what stage of life you’re in. Before kids? The other day was probably 1-10 days ago. Right now with a toddler and pregnant with #2? The other day could be yesterday or 6 months ago.

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animeistheog@reddit

I said it today about smth I did probably two months ago. I think that’s a stretch but I use the phrase all the time to talk aboutsomething I did in the past.

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EarlyInside45@reddit

Three to five-ish days ago. Before yesterday, but not as far back as last week.

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butterflygardyn@reddit

2-5 days. Longer ago than yesterday but not a week.

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Krylvus@reddit

I consider it to be the day before last or maybe sometimes the day before that.

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isittimefordinner@reddit

With me, it could be 2-3 days or 3-4 months. I can't keep track of time anymore.

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Living_Murphys_Law@reddit

However long ago it needs to be. My grandparents have used it to refer to something that happened months ago.

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bonanzapineapple@reddit

Within the past month

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EarhartNotBedelia@reddit

For me, it means somewhere between the day before yesterday and a week ago.

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AtheneSchmidt@reddit

I've been know to use it for things that happened a couple of years ago. That said, it generally means "recently" it's just that everything that has happened since Covid kind of jumbled together for me, and it all feels like its happened within the last few months.

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FatherSkeletor@reddit

Sometimes I say it and I mean yesterday, sometimes I say it and I mean a decade ago. Although I use it pretty liberally.

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mfigroid@reddit

Longer ago than yesterday.

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stabbingrabbit@reddit

Depends on how old you are . Young person means within the past week. Us old people will say it and realize it was 3 months ago

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Norwester77@reddit

Two or three days ago, usually. Possibly up to a week.

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IdeaSpecialist@reddit

More than yesterday but less than a week

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Mumchkin@reddit

Within the same month.

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jlt6666@reddit

For me the phrase almost always precedes a totally made up story.

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Suitable-Lawyer-9397@reddit

For me in means with the past week as in fairly recently

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kaimcdragonfist@reddit

I usually mean within the last week or two

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Graycy@reddit

Two days to several months. The older I get the longer it might mean.

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LogicalFallacyCat@reddit

I uae it for before yesterday but within the last week.

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ExternalTelevision75@reddit

If I’m saying “the other day” it means anytime within the last 10 years

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greeneyedblackheart@reddit

Within 3 weeks in my use

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vabeachkevin@reddit

Less than a week ago

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BizzyQueenBee@reddit

Within the past month

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toodleroo@reddit

Within the past week

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JenniferJuniper6@reddit

The day before yesterday, most likely, but it could be three days ago.

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Asleep-Assistant-269@reddit

1 day ago is yesterday. 2 days ago is a couple days ago 3 days ago could be "a couple days ago" or "the other day" 4-10 days ago is "the other day" 11-21 days is "a couple weeks ago" Then a few weeks, a couple months, a few months, etc. Clearly very precise.

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Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit

When I say it, it's anytime within the last month. Longer than that was "a few weeks ago."

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sean8877@reddit

Yesterday at 11:59pm. Or 10 years ago. Or my earliest memory.

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GreenZebra23@reddit

The way I use it is longer ago than yesterday, but probably less than a week ago

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OK_Stop_Already@reddit

As others have said, it's not a specific time, just 'recent'.

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Living-Night4476@reddit

The other day can be earlier that day to decades ago

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K_Marty@reddit

It really just means, “It doesn’t matter when the thing I’m about to tell you about happened. It just wasn’t today.”

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Lanky-Antelope7006@reddit

I would think it could mean any day in the last couple of weeks.

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chodan9@reddit

I usually think more than 2 days but less than a week.

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RatonhnhaketonK@reddit

"The other day" for me can be yesterday or six months ago lmao

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Whatever-ItsFine@reddit

If you’re my mom, anywhere from yesterday to 40 years ago

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FunkIPA@reddit

Less than a week ago, but longer than yesterday, possibly longer than the day before yesterday.

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Anxious_Leadership25@reddit

Not more than a few days otherwise it would be last week

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AssSpelunkingAtheist@reddit

Yesterday or before

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jambajuiceofficial@reddit

Up to a few weeks ago

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mychemicaltestube@reddit

I take it literally and interpret it as the day before yesterday. My ex would use it for any day in the past week to a month ago, very frustrating lol

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Dawgs919@reddit

Usually The day before yesterday

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sparksgirl1223@reddit

Thats gonna depend wholly, in my experience, on the age of the person using the phrase.

Under 30, within the last week, is most likely

40-60, probably in the last 2 weeks to 2 months

60+ (especially if memory issues are present): probably sometime in the last half century lol

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nthnyjsn@reddit

undefined

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Steel_Airship@reddit

It depends but to me it means "more than a day but less than a week." If it was more than that I would say "about a week ago."

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Simple_Lavishness460@reddit

I've always meant it as maybe 3-4 days ago. No more than a week.

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ACheetahSpot@reddit

I use it to mean like a week ago. My husband uses it to mean like 6 months ago. So who knows, really.

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ancientastronaut2@reddit

I generally think of it as anywhere between the day before yesterday and a week ago. If it was a week ago, you'd say last week.

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blue_my_eye@reddit

Could be two days ago... Could be 20 years ago. Good luck.

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BadPom@reddit

Anytime from birth until earlier today. Sorry, can’t narrow it down.

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RaceSlow7798@reddit

for me, less than a week, more than yesterday

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FriendWinter9674@reddit

Its imprecise. I usually think of it as a week or two ago. I've heard it used for something that happened years ago, when the timing of the event wasn't important.

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PartyCat78@reddit

Before yesterday but less than a week.

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ThrowAwayIGotHack3d@reddit

To me personally it could be anywhere between 3 days ago and like two weeks ago. I think if you say the other day to refer to something that happened a few months ago, you should just say a few months ago.

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Pustuli0@reddit

More than two days, less than a week

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ArcadeToken95@reddit

Within the past week or two

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King_Ralph1@reddit

Anywhere from yesterday to four or five years ago. Usually sometime in the last month, but it’s a fluid, wide open term.

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Gunslinger_247@reddit

When I say the other day, its 2 days ago. No more, no less.

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jsmith_92@reddit

Somewhere between 1-29 days

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Regular_Boot_3540@reddit

It's purposely vague. It's probably not a year ago, but it could be a month ago.

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WritPositWrit@reddit

Less than a year ago

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sharrrper@reddit

I'd say onger ago than yesterday, less than a month, but averaging somewhere around a week.

It's definitely a very vague expression though.

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HopefulBedroom4539@reddit

Like a day or more ???

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stellarduchess@reddit

Anywhere from yesterday to 3 months ago. I can’t be bothered to remember dates.

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Ted_Denslow@reddit

2-6 days ago. Any more, it's "last week". Any less it's "yesterday."

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tiny_purple_Alfador@reddit

Not this day, which is currently happening, but the other one, which happened at some point in the past.

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RedditWidow@reddit

"The other day" is any day other than this one. I often say "the other day" and my kids point out that it was actually a year ago, but that's how it goes when you get old.

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alwaysmanders@reddit

2-5 days

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Ok_Resort_489@reddit

I say this when I can't remember what day something happened. Probably "anytime in the last week or two."

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blazedancer1997@reddit

I think I usually use it anywhere from a day to a month

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softgypsy@reddit

Could be yesterday, could be two months ago

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mcm87@reddit

A week-ish. Less than a month.

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TypePuzzleheaded6228@reddit

less than a week.

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TRLK9802@reddit

I'd use it to mean 3 to 5 days ago.

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Trinx_@reddit

My boyfriend uses this for anything from "yesterday" to "several years ago." It drives me bonkers.

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PlanMagnet38@reddit

My husband and I use this very differently. He uses it to mean literally the recent past (within a few weeks), but I use it to mean any past time that still has relevance to the present moment (which could be years ago). We know other people who use both of these meanings, so neither of us seems to be an outlier, at least among our circles.

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PlanMagnet38@reddit

My husband and I use this very differently. He uses it to mean literally the recent past (within a few weeks), but I use it to mean any past time that still has relevance to the present moment (which could be years ago). We know other people who use both of these meanings, so neither of us seems to be an outlier, at least among our circles.

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FormerlyDK@reddit

Up to a couple of weeks but you can’t exactly remember and it doesn’t matter anyway.

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ferret_80@reddit

It's relative to the frequency/recency of contact with your interlocutor(s).

"The other day" to someone I interact with every day is probably going to be within a month. With someone I only see once a month, it could mean within 6 months. Someone I only see once a year, the other day could mean anytime within the last few years.

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Grimaldehyde@reddit

Less than a week. Say, 2-3 days ago.0

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Queen_Kaos@reddit

I believe it's a couple days or so. Although I have really bad adhd so whenever I say it I usually mean last week and then I have to correct myself

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ThePurityPixel@reddit

The day before yesterday

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Brave_Mess_3155@reddit

I use it to mean this thing that I remeber hsppening but I dont remember the exact date. Usually to recent to distinguish it from yesterday. Like if the weather was different when it happened like last winter or last summer I wouldn't use it.

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Ecstatic_Level2625@reddit

Since day that I don't remember exactly when but fairly recently

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catswithbatsandhats@reddit

Anywhere between 2 days to 20 years ago

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r2d3x9@reddit

2-5 days before the present day

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Far-Valuable9279@reddit

Probably some time in the last two weeks. Anything over 2 weeks becomes “a couple weeks ago”

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eugenesnewdream@reddit

Within the past week. If it's a week ago or more, it's "a little while ago" or similar.

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latx5@reddit

I’ll use it for whatever timeframe I want, dammit, it’s my story!

Sorry, my pedantic son corrects me all the time.

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LexiD523@reddit

It's "I know it wasn't yesterday, but I don't remember exactly how many days ago it was."

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Shmoo_the_Parader@reddit

Somewhere between 5 min and 50 years ago.

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AnastasiusDicorus@reddit

within the past 19 1/2 months

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Hot_messed@reddit

It could also mean the last time you spoke with someone. As in “the other day you told me blah, blah, blah”.

It could have been a few days ago, or longer than that, if it had been a while since you spoke together about the topic.

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TexasRed806@reddit

To me it’s more than a couple days, but less than a couple weeks ago. Anything more than that I say “a few weeks ago”

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gremel9jan@reddit

within the last week

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Current_Poster@reddit

I once heard a comic claim it could mean anything from "yesterday" to "the beginning of time" and i dont think he's wrong. It's a context thing.

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ShakeWeightMyDick@reddit

Recently

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Regular-Message9591@reddit

I like to think it's within the last 7 days, otherwise you would say "last week"

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MacNeal@reddit

Maybe sometime this week, or maybe sometime last week. Definitely not a month ago.

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SherLovesCats@reddit

It would be less than a week.

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cowboyJones@reddit

It’s after yesterday and before last week.

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theegodmother1999@reddit

i'm ngl... i've used the other day to refer to something that happened months ago lol it's kinda become a filler word for an indeterminate amount of time in the somewhat recent past lol

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Guinnessron@reddit

Id assume less than a week ago

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Anthrodiva@reddit

Weeks.

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Wadsworth_McStumpy@reddit

When I use it, it means something like "A few days ago, but I don't remember exactly when." It might be yesterday, and it might be up to a week ago. It might be longer than that, but if it is, I'll be surprised.

By contrast, "Back in my day" means any time in my life that whatever we're talking about was markedly better than it is now. So, between 1965 and 1985, depending on what we're talking about. (To be fair, I was really young in 1965, so if that's what I mean, I'm probably making stuff up about how good things were in the past, to make the present seem even worse than it really is.)

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Phoenix_Court@reddit

Generally I think it is meant to be used to mean a point sometime further back than yesterday and closer than 2-ish weeks ago.

However many, if not most, people don't use it that precisely. Many people just use to to mean "once". As in, "at any random time in the past".

There's a running joke that most people use it to mean "any time between yesterday and the day I was born" and while there's some exaggeration to the joke, it's not entirely inaccurate.

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machagogo@reddit

It is not an exact word, nor is it meant to be.

It means "recent past"

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tbodillia@reddit

I may say "the other day" and then realize it was like 10 years ago.

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RepresentativeAir149@reddit

It’s flexible, which is why it’s used a lot.

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DirtParking4216@reddit

I can go back at least a month with that time range. Maybe even 2. It depends on when the last time I talked to someone.

Like, if I talk to them daily, this might mean within the week. But if they're an infrequent conversation partner, I can stretch that shit out a while.

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thurstonrando@reddit

I don’t know but not yesterday

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ManInACube@reddit

Part of the reason I’ll use “the other day” is when it’s unimportant to know the exact date. At a certain point I’ll switch to “a couple weeks ago” but it’s more vibes than numbers.

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tonic65@reddit

More than two and less than seven. Less than two is yesterday and more than seven is last week.

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Pernicious_Possum@reddit

Anywhere from two days ago to two months ago

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fetter80@reddit

Could be yesterday. Could be 2 weeks ago.

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ChemicallyAlteredVet@reddit

It’s a range. I use it for anything less than a week. More than a week I use “last week”. Or I use it for if I don’t really recall but it’s recent.

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The_sad_zebra@reddit

When I use it, it means a day within the last week, excluding yesterday. How people use it varies though.

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Mattturley@reddit

Could be two days ago, could be ten years. Just a phrase that typically sets up a story to relate to current discussion or situation.

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Distinct_Chair3047@reddit

Usually within the week. Sometimes the previous week.

Typically used when you don't accurately remember the day, but you know it was recently.

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Kittalia@reddit

For me usually the day before yesterday but sometimes up to the most recent Sunday. If it is before that, I'd say last week or the other week.

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ididreadittoo@reddit

It can be anything from 2-4 days ago to now (for me), 3 or more decades ago, so basically anything prior to yesterday.

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Silly_Guidance_8871@reddit

Anywhere from "earlier today" to "twenty years ago"

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meowmix778@reddit

Somewhere between 2-5 days or so and 5 years.

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PaperOptimist@reddit

In my usage, it's anywhere from two days ago ("day before yesterday" and "ereyesterday" just feel clunky) to a month-ish - three weeks or so. Longer ago than that, and I tend to jump to "about a month ago" or "a while back".

The important thing is that I use it when I'm either uncertain of timing, or if timing feels less important.

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Responsible-Hunt1275@reddit

I'd say sometime in the past week.

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Slade_ftp@reddit

Sometime recently, could be a couple days ago, could be a couple months ago, could be yesterday. Example “Shit it was the other day I couldn’t tell you exactly when I heard that”

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Ok_Remote_1036@reddit

A few days ago.

Not yesterday.

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KuchDaddy@reddit

For me, it's anytime in the past 30 days.

Or, more accurately, any day that I perceive to have occurred within the last 30(ish) days.

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Romirose86@reddit

The day before yesterday

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MattieShoes@reddit

I don't think there's a firm cutoff, but I'd say in the last two weeks.

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SheepherderAware4766@reddit

typically, within a week. It's used when you don't remember when excavate it was.

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Gyvon@reddit

Anywhere from yesterday to a week ago

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WalnutTree80@reddit

For me it could mean last week or anytime within the past three months.

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shammy_dammy@reddit

It's imprecise. So there is no way to say how long it is, really.

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Fantastic_Golf_7154@reddit

I'm over 50 and due to my medical issues I haven't been able to work in almost a year. So my days tend to run together. For me saying "the other day" could mean yesterday or last week. 😂

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krispysamples@reddit

Somewhere between yesterday and 3 weeks ago

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Mediocre-Oil-5322@reddit

Depends on the person. Usually, it means sometime within the last week or two. For some Americans, that could extend to the last few months. If you know someone for a bit, you kind of get a feel for what their individual parameters for "the other day" are.

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NoMortgage3467@reddit

Long before america existed.

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Tinsel-Fop@reddit

It seems to me it means, "Yesterday or possibly today, but maybe years ago." Some people will just throw it in when they don't remember when something happened, or they're confused.

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BlowFish-w-o-Hootie@reddit

The way my 91-year old father uses it, it is anywhere between 1955 and 10 minutes ago. So, it is a flexible term.

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Hot_Depth_3367@reddit

I have a very concise answer. It's a few days ago. Lol. How many is a few? Who can say!

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Inspi@reddit

Something somewhat recent that I can't remember the specific day for

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MrLongWalk@reddit

Within the last week or so

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TheOfficialKramer@reddit

I use the other day within the last week.

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ByWillAlone@reddit

Before yesterday, but not as long ago as last week.

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Rob_LeMatic@reddit

It depends on how old you are. If you're Teen or twenties, the other day is within the last week. If you're in your forties, the other day could have been years ago.

I assume there are some cultural differences, too.

For example, "ahora" literally means "now" but in Colombia it can mean anytime between an hour from now and a couple days from now. "Ahorita" means "right the fuck now" but in Colombia it can mean any time from an hour from now to maybe sometime before tomorrow

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browneyedredhead1968@reddit

Usually within a week.

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non-rhotic_eotic@reddit

Some day in the past beyond yesterday

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Rizzpooch@reddit

In the past. Not yesterday. It's the other day

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AdventurousRope6830@reddit

Usually one or two days. Three days, tops.

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whatdoidonowdamnit@reddit

I use it to mean the day before yesterday.

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SnooRabbits1411@reddit

Within the fortnight I guess, idk, it’s not set in stone

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DaygoTom@reddit

Within the last week.

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Shot-Artist5013@reddit

More than 1 day, less than 7.

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Fun_Committee1478@reddit

Within the same week. 2-4 days. Maybe 5. More than that it becomes “last week”

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groundhogcow@reddit

A unspecified amount of time out of recent memory.

It could be a day it could be a year.

The point is to say in the past, a thing happened without spending 5 min nailing down the exact time in a rambling studded no one cares about.

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No-Heat-436@reddit

Usually within 2-3 days, occasionally 4. Never more than that, we usually just name the day of the week at that point.

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AdamoMeFecit@reddit

In common usage “the other day” indicates a moment in time that has occurred recently, but longer ago than “yesterday.” Sometimes it indicates a recently date that you simply can’t remember.

After an undefined threshold amount of time, you switch “a while ago” to indicate time farther back.

This caused no end of confusion between myself and an ex-wife for whom English was a sixth language. She used “the other day” to indicate ANY time in the past, not only relatively recent time.

So sentences like “I had coffee the other day with my friend Carol,” were problematic, particularly if you knew already that Carol had moved to a different country a decade ago or had died.

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strumthebuilding@reddit

Within a fortnight

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SJ3Starz@reddit

For me it could be yesterday or about a month ago. I have memory issues and time is a construct. Everything is "the other day" to me. My husband hates it because he will correct me to say "you mean yesterday" 😐 and I'll be thinking "idk if it was yesterday or 3 days ago, but what ever" and just let him correct it even though yesterday is still a different day, so "other day" still makes sense.

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macoafi@reddit

Between two days and 5 months.

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Prowindowlicker@reddit

Could be anywhere from yesterday to a few days ago.

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nowhereman136@reddit

Officially, the day before yesterday

Unofficially, sometime in the past week or two

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Top-Web3806@reddit

It’s not exact but I’d say within the week

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iboblaw@reddit

When I say that, I dont know how long ago it was. Long enough ago that I forgot when it happened: 1 week to 6 months ago.

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Vachic09@reddit

Technically, it's the day before yesterday but it can be any recent day in common usage.

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Kdiesiel311@reddit

Hmm. 2-4 I’d say. I feel like after 5 days, I’d say, last week

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nomadschomad@reddit

Any of these: - In the last week or 2 - The last time we spoke even if that was much longer ago - Any time in the past especially if you are trying to minimize/gaslight about how long it’s been. So it can be a disingenuous term.

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FalineAkemi@reddit

I'm not going to read all the responses, but I wanted to add that as someone with time blindness, "the other day" could also be this morning..... 😂
It's any time before now! Lol.

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Th3MiteeyLambo@reddit

To me it means: "One day somewhat recently but I can't remember exactly which day it was except I'm pretty sure it wasn't yesterday."

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oldfarmjoy@reddit

We use it when the specific time is irrelevant. If someone uses it, it should be in a context where it doesn't matter if it was 2 days or a month ago or several months ago.

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Flimsy_Equal8841@reddit

Probably up to a week. Then it changes to the other week.

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boomgoesthevegemite@reddit

Depends but usually within the last couple weeks…if I’m using the phrase.

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Stevepem1@reddit

Technically it can include yesterday or two days ago, but I think that is not an ideal usage, because normally if something was yesterday you would say yesterday, so if someone told me something happened the other day I would assume it was probably not yesterday otherwise they would have said so. And although not quite the same, it is very common to use the term a couple of days ago, or the longer version the day before last, if that is when it happened. So again if someone told me something happened the other day I would think it is was almost certainly not yesterday, and probably not two days ago, but more likely at least three days ago.

Is it important or not? Well it depends on the situation and how important is it for the listener to have a somewhat accurate idea of when it happened. In a sense in most cases it probably doesn't matter, if you are telling someone about how you got a flat tire and you got stuck for two hours, does it really matter what day it happened? Maybe not, but human nature is that we generally like to have an idea when something happened, and if the flat tire was yesterday most people would like to know that detail. If you just told someone it happened the other day I think most people would be surprised if later in the conversation they found out that the flat tire incident happened yesterday because they wouldn't have been assuming that.

A similar example is last winter I was talking to a neighbor about a car that was stuck in the snow in front of his driveway and making it difficult for other cars to pass by, I asked if he knew whose car it was and he said someone down the street. When I asked him which house so that I could ask them if they needed help moving it, he said I can go ask them and he walked next door and knocked on the door. I said "It's them?" and he said yes. We ended up helping the lady who owned it get it into her driveway, but there is no way that I would have ever guessed that he would refer to his next door neighbor as living down the street, but technically he was correct. I just think it was not ideal communication.

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JonCranesMask05@reddit

I feel gross referencing Dane Cook, but didn't he have a joke about how 'the other day' is always Wednesday?

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Lugbor@reddit

Between 3-7 days. Anything outside those bounds is either yesterday or last week.

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mountednoble99@reddit

Less than a week, more than yesterday

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squidtheinky@reddit

To me, its before yesterday, but more recent than last week.

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knowlessman@reddit

It is uncertain, and most often used when the speaker themselves is unsure of the specifics.

If a speaker knows when an event took place, they are more likely to say "a few days ago", "recently", or even, "a long time ago."

But if the speaker is uncertain whether an event took place today or last year? "The other day" takes over. If you hear "the other day" you should assume that the person saying it has no idea whether it happened today or 10 years ago, they just know it happened and think it is relevant.

For example imagine you talk to Alex every day, and in one of those conversations Alex mentions that needs a new car. It's just one of many conversations and they all blend together in your memory. Then some unknown time later you talk to Bob, who says he has a car to sell. Your memory kicks up an association of Alex saying he needed a car, but does not provide a specific context of which conversation because that's not how memory works and they are all mixed together. Could have been today, could have been a year ago. What do you say to Bob? "The other day I was talking to...."

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kingoflint282@reddit

Depends on who I’m talking to but it could be any time in the last 6 months

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ms_panelopi@reddit

Within the month

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Individual_Check_442@reddit

Usually within a few days. Notice how I used another word that doesn’t define the number lol

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ShoddyCobbler@reddit

Any time between yesterday and one week ago

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krschob@reddit

I like - It's not "this" day or "that" day. It's "the other day. Not specific, but sometime in the past and exactly when isn't important to the story, and if it develops that it is important, we can nail it down later.

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krschob@reddit

Forgot - It also works even more clearly in the future. "On this day I will...." "When that day comes..."You can deal with that some other day" (commonly "another day")

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thetokyofiles@reddit

I’d say generally would be a few days to a week or two. But wouldn’t be weird if it was a month or so. I wouldn’t use it if I KNEW it was something like 3 months ago. In that case I’d just say “a while back / ago” or “a few months ago”.

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poser765@reddit

It’s a nebulous term to refer to anything up to a few months ago where a specific time frame is not important.

“I ate jimmy johns the other day and had a bad experience”. The bad experience is the point of conversation. When specifically I had a bad experience is largely irrelevant except that it was somewhat recent.

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hobokobo1028@reddit

Within the last week

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WinterRevolutionary6@reddit

I say this when I don’t want to spend 30 seconds interrupting the flow of conversation to remember the exact day something happened. It could be yesterday or it could be three weeks ago. The point is: whenever it happened, that’s not relevant. It’s more important to tell you the events that occurred than when it happened

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Gremlin1001001@reddit

Used in a contextual sense, and mostly informally. For me it can be as much as a week in the past. I then switch to last week, last month and last year etc.

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vampirinaballerina@reddit

I'd say up to a week or two because much longer than that, you'd probably say "a few weeks ago." That said, it's not precise. It should only be used if the precise time doesn't matter.

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silentsnak3@reddit

For me it is anything within a week.

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PureYouth@reddit

Could be anywhere from two days ago to a year ago

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BouncingSphinx@reddit

For me, any time between yesterday and two months ago.

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Spackleberry@reddit

Sometime between the day before yesterday and a week ago.

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lendmeflight@reddit

A day in the past that isn’t today or yesterday

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Hi_Im_Paul1706@reddit

It gets farther away the older you get

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Geeezzzz-Louise@reddit

Within a week

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Raddatatta@reddit

Any time in the past few weeks for the most part. But sometimes people think something is a lot more recent than it actually was so it can sometimes be longer.

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Remarkable-Bit-3578@reddit

Had a girlfriend who never used the word yesterday. All stories in the past were the other day. Some details aren’t so important to some folks.

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Apart_Insect_8859@reddit

I want to say within the past month?

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gperson2@reddit

Between 3 and 10 days ago, is how I interpret it.

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meusiclver@reddit

A day not today, but not so long ago that you've forgotten it. Usually used when focusing on the exact date is irrelevant or not that import, unless given additional context clues in the story.

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Living_Fig_6386@reddit

It's a non-specific time in the past, but amount of time that would probably be stated in days if it were specified. You can just think of it as "recently" or "some time in the paste, more than a day, but probably less than a month ago -- if it's more than a month, probably not much more -- honestly a forget, but not too long ago".

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wpotman@reddit

It depends on the context a little, but I would say "the other day" is something that happened 3-14 days ago the way I use it.

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CheeseMongoNJ@reddit

Could be yesterday, could be a random Thursday in 1997....

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SheenPSU@reddit

I used to me mean anywhere from yesterday to 20 years ago

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PupLondon@reddit

I would assume within the last 3 days..but before yesterday..then "this past week" is within the last 7 days..last week is 7 to 14 days..and anything beyond that is "the before times"- and we dont really talk about those.

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PillsburyToasters@reddit

Not a set time ago. When it’s said, it’s usually within a time where small details could easily be remembered

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missdawn1970@reddit

If it was earlier this week, I'll say "the other day". Any longer than that, and I'll say "last week" or "a couple of weeks ago".

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alwaysboopthesnoot@reddit

Anytime within the last few weeks or months but more likely within the last few days or so.

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DOMSdeluise@reddit

a few days up to any time that week. Like on a Saturday I think it would be fine to refer to something that happened on Monday as the other day.

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Fae-SailorStupider@reddit

Within the last week or two

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schec1@reddit

Sometime in the past. If you can’t determine how long ago by the context of the story and it’s an important detail, ask for clarification.

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DrProfessorSatan@reddit

I use it if it’s within the current week but not yesterday. As soon as I’m into the next week, I say “last week”.

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219_Infinity@reddit

Could be any day over the last 21 days

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river-running@reddit

I wouldn't use it for any time more than a few days ago.

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ogreblood@reddit

I would use "the other day" to refer to any time within the last week or so. It's pretty vague. Sometimes I'll tell a story about something that happened "the other day" and realize it was over a year ago

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Basicly-Inevitable@reddit

If the time context doesn't really matter, then I also say "the other day" for stuff that happened months ago.

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sgtm7@reddit

For longer than a few weeks ago, I would say "a while ago".

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ThePermMustWait@reddit

Or “a few weeks ago.”

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bbcahs@reddit

Im 60. When I say "the other day" I think it was in the past month or so. In reality it is anytime after 1996.

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ThePermMustWait@reddit

I would say within the last week or so.

Week or so… maybe up to two weeks. Otherwise I would say “a few weeks or so ago”.

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Binyamin12345@reddit

Within roughly the last month I'd say

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Wunktacular@reddit

Within the past week, usually. It's a phrase that you use without thinking, or when you're not sure of the exact date.

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J_Doe5686@reddit

It could mean yesterday or it could mean last week.

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Responsible-Factor53@reddit

If I remember it, it was “the other day”

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Low_Influence_7886@reddit

Could be last week could be last decade. :iiam

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TheNerdofLife@reddit

For me, I'd use it to refer to any time beyond yesterday, but within the past 7 days

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Dr_StrangeloveGA@reddit

According to my friends and family, my "the other day" is anywhere between the day before yesterday and 30 years ago.

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Purple_Technician759@reddit

Within the past 2-3 weeks.

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Fuckspez42@reddit

I’d say it’s usually within the lest 2-3 days.

It’s a funny old language, innit?

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Possible-Cicada-9662@reddit

Usually within the week (2-7 days ago) after that its a week('s) ago (7-31 days ago) then so in.

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Successful_Way_3239@reddit

Up to 13 days. After that it becomes a couple weeks ago.

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AwesomeOrca@reddit

If it’s someone I see every day, like a coworker or my wife, “the other day” is for the gap between "yesterday" and "last week" if can't remember it was specifically "Thursday."

But if it’s someone I see irregularly, like my aunt, I might say I ran into my cousin “the other day,” meaning sometime in the last few weeks.

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browsing_around@reddit

For me, within the last 30 days.

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Joe_Betz_@reddit

Yesterday to a few days ago.

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gunterrae@reddit

It's pretty vague, but less than a week?

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An8thOfFeanor@reddit

Anytime between yesterday and a week ago

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DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit

I would say within the same week, but some people can be a bit wild with it and refer to things months ago

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prodby_lilli@reddit

In general, it’s usually referring to any time in the past two weeks or so. It’s also usually followed up with something that happened to jog someone’s memory. For example, “remember the other day when we saw that new movie?” It’s pretty imprecise and usually a bridge to get somewhere in my experience.

However, I’m also from the Midwest where “the other day” either means 2 days ago or 40 years ago depending on the person.

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TheFishyNinja@reddit

Within the past week or so. No hard cutoff but generally recent

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ChangeHealthy2666@reddit

I live in the south. The other day could be yesterday or last year.

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ChickenNugs4Hugs@reddit

Somewhere in the last 10 days.

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Apart_Pineapple2392@reddit

The other day, at nand camp

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TheDangDeal@reddit

It is a proven fact that as you age time changes too, so the other day for someone in their teens, it is in the last few days, by the time you’re 50 it could be over a decade. I swear the 90’s were only 10 years ago, but here we are 30+ years later.

tldr; there isn’t a specific range, and it is a sliding scale

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WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs@reddit

Sometime between yesterday and the beginning of the year in which I'm speaking, and usually within the season I'm speaking. Similar to "a few days ago," which is more than 2 but definitely still in the current year. I wouldn't, here in May, use "the other day" to refer to that day in January where it dropped 6 inches of snow, but in June I might refer to something in April as "the other day."

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IconoclastExplosive@reddit

I use it to mean within the last month. I have a buddy that uses it exclusively to mean at least 3 years ago.

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rosietherosebud@reddit

Within the past 2 weeks

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MGaCici@reddit

A while back.

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bemvee@reddit

There’s no true specific time period it’s referencing.

Anywhere from yesterday to probably 2-3 weeks ago. Could be up to 2-3 months ago if the person doesn’t have a good sense of time (like me!)

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ClassieLadyk@reddit

Could be anywhere from yesterday to like 4 months ago.

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Better-Strategy8798@reddit

Could be a day.. a month.. a year.. a decade. You gotta pick up on subtle context how long ago it was haha

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albertnormandy@reddit

In my experience it means less than a month but more than yesterday.

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Tx2PNW2Tx@reddit

Yes! In Texas the other day can be like a month ago. Not typically more than a month otherwise we'd say "a coupla months ago".

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Hybrid487@reddit

1-13,505 days ago

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undreamedgore@reddit

In the area I'm from, it's just whatever is in recent memory. So about a month or two tops.

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

Anywhere from earlier this year to day before yesterday. In the southern US it is used as a figure of speech when the date is irrelevant to the point being made.

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I_PM_Duck_Pics@reddit

Yeah it could mean anywhere from 1 year ago to the day before yesterday. From Mississippi.

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kaykenstein@reddit

Nah I'm in Indiana and that's here too

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bsmithi@reddit

anytime from 2 days ago, to maybe up to a couple weeks. entirely subjective tho

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No_Meeting145@reddit

The older the speaker the longer the possible time. I have professional people around me in their use it for the last six months.

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PabloPicasshooole@reddit

It's a few days ago.

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OkayDay21@reddit

Sometimes it starts “the other day…” and then you realize “oh wait that was like a month ago… anyway.”

It’s not today it yesterday but also not a long time ago

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Ashur_Bens_Pal@reddit

Three days to a week.

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TheOwlMarble@reddit

Some day within the last month, probably within the last week

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Stupid_Snowmeiser@reddit

Usually some recent day before yesterday. I usually say it when referring to the day before yesterday specifically, otherwise I say a couple of days ago.

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Bob_12_Pack@reddit

It just means recently and it’s usually not important precisely when.

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Dignam3@reddit

A little bit more than a couple two three

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Suitable_Page_7673@reddit

Wait, which other day?

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JadedDreams23@reddit

Are you my eight year old grandson?

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TorturedChaos@reddit

According to my wife I use the term "the other day" to refer to anything in the last several months, up to a year.

In my defense life gets busy and I lose track of how much time has passed.

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BAMspek@reddit

Less than a week, otherwise I’d say last week or a week ago.

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peachywthasideofkeen@reddit

Generally I think of any day within the last week or so. BUT some people have zero sense of time and will use it to refer to any point in the past. So uhhh heavily dependent on the speaker, in my experience lol

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iceph03nix@reddit

"mighta been yesterday, but could have been a few days ago, or even in the last week or two, I don't really remember, and I don't care enough to figure it out"

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Richard_Thickens@reddit

"Couple hockey players come up to the produce stand the other day..."

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justanoseybxtch@reddit

More than two but less than a week

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JadedDreams23@reddit

My 8 year old grandson becomes immediately furious if anyone says the other day, and goes on a rant about how it needs to be more specific lol

I think it’s intentionally nonspecific because you say it when you don’t remember, or it’s not relevant to what you’re saying.

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

There’s no standard definition but, generally, less than a week and more than a day.

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GSilky@reddit

Any prior day. Usually recently. However, I have said that in reference to something a while ago because I don't see whoever I was addressing very often, so in terms of that context, it would have been a recent interaction that happened months ago.

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kaykenstein@reddit

When I say this it could mean yesterday, it could mean 3 months ago lol

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rawbface@reddit

Usually it's the day before yesterday, but it can mean 3-4 days ago too.

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little_runner_boy@reddit

I'd say somewhere in the 2-10 days ago is fair game

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Practical-Emu-3303@reddit

two-14 business days.

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esaule@reddit

I don't think it is well defined.

I've heard people say it for stuff that happened 6 months prior.

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ohsummerdawn@reddit

For me its just means "somewhat recently but the number of days doesn't matter"

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warneagle@reddit

After the start of the current week but before yesterday.

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Deolater@reddit

If there was a reason for a more precise statement, the speaker would have said something more precise

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historyhill@reddit

Sometimes I use it to mean recently (within the past month or so) but other times I'll use it to mean "this happened recently but the date is actually irrelevant to the story" and the time could be longer. It's all vibes for the most part.

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Live-Medium8357@reddit

less than a week ago.

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itsmecinder@reddit

Within the last couple of weeks.

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Sea_Analysis_8033@reddit

Never really thought to quantify it but I’d say before yesterday and no longer than a month. Then it would be a few weeks ago etc

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Hikinghawk@reddit

Within the last two weeks usually.

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digitalpacifier@reddit

Less than a week

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CoffeeGoblynn@reddit

I use it to mean some time within the last few days, usually no more than a week. I've caught myself saying, "The other day - well, actually I think it was last week..."

I would just say as a general rule, use it to refer to a day further back than yesterday, but no further back than a week.

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