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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have completely misunderstood the meaning of some sayings?

843 replies

KermitTheToad · 18/11/2025 20:53

I only found out today that the term Social Butterfly refers to someone who is outgoing and loves social events. I thought it meant you didn't like social events, as in you would fly away and avoid them. I also until recently thought that a Spendthrift is somebody who is frugal in their spending. I assumed that as thrifty meant not being wasteful, that Spendthrift meant being careful in what you spent.
YANBU..I see where you are coming from.
YABU.. You are a wally, go back to school!

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78e22387FFGH · 18/11/2025 21:46

I always thought the protagonist in a film was the baddie, sounds like it should be, until I realised that was the antagonist (which makes more sense - pro and anti)

JoBrodie · 18/11/2025 21:46

"Feet of clay" - either "can't run very fast" or "a very grounded person". Quite a surprise to find it was (another) biblical reference to a dream that Daniel interpreted, of an impressive gold statue which hadn't been properly finished at its base. So it means someone once considered great but who turns out to be flawed.

Jo

Ineedanewsofa · 18/11/2025 21:45

@CurlyhairedAssassin me too! Somewhere we used to drive past regularly when I was a child had that sign and I immediately imagined little shop of horrors 🤣 I was about 17 when I found out what it meant and in a weird twist of fate, ended up working for a plant hire company when I graduated…

AllJoyAndNoFun · 18/11/2025 21:44

This is misheard lyrics meets misheard sayings

When I was a kid I misheard the lyrics to Tomorrow from Annie and thought she said "Betcha Bottom's Honour" not "bet your bottom dollar" so I figured maybe a Bottom was what Americans had instead of Brownies.

78e22387FFGH · 18/11/2025 21:44

HyggeTygge · 18/11/2025 21:38

Also one of my favourites i read recently on here, where they thought a petard, as in "hoist by your own petard", was a sort of leotard and it was giving you a wedgie 😂

A leotard giving you a wedgie 😂

It actually is another one from the Bible - when Queen Esther's cousin Mordecai had an enemy who made a huge stake to hang him on, and ended up being hung on it himself

Pieceofpurplesky · 18/11/2025 21:43

Another one who thought spendthrift was the opposite of what it means.

Linzloopy · 18/11/2025 21:42

jamcorrosion · 18/11/2025 20:59

I absolutely love your definition of social butterfly hahaha.

the other one isn’t much different

A spendthrift is the opposite of being thrifty!

AllJoyAndNoFun · 18/11/2025 21:42

Pollyanna87 · 18/11/2025 21:41

I thought that ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth’ was to do with the Trojan horse, and thought it made no sense as it would have been helpful to look in its mouth and see all the people inside.

😂my understanding is that it refers to the fact that if you were buying a horse you would look at its teeth to age it and not buy it if it was really old, but if someone was just giving you the horse then you wouldn't because it's a free horse.

Pinkandpurple225533 · 18/11/2025 21:41

Well I’ve just learnt the meaning of spendthrift right now so thank you

Frenchcremefraiche · 18/11/2025 21:41

Completely agree about spendthrift. It's the absolute opposite of what it sounds like.

Pollyanna87 · 18/11/2025 21:41

I thought that ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth’ was to do with the Trojan horse, and thought it made no sense as it would have been helpful to look in its mouth and see all the people inside.

SageSorrelSaffron · 18/11/2025 21:39

SelfRaisingFlour · 18/11/2025 21:03

I didn't know that "prodigal son" meant he was wasteful not a golden boy.

It’s both- in the parable he goes off and wastes his fortune. Then he returns and welcomed as the golden boy.

TheQuickCat · 18/11/2025 21:38

CurlyhairedAssassin

Near a roundabout where I grew up there's enormous metal irises. As a joke someone put a "heavy plant crossing" sign next to them. It always made my mum laugh driving by. It absolutely terrified me! I always pictured these huge plants coming to life and walking about!

This is why I know that "plant" can mean two things 😁

HyggeTygge · 18/11/2025 21:38

Also one of my favourites i read recently on here, where they thought a petard, as in "hoist by your own petard", was a sort of leotard and it was giving you a wedgie 😂

aLFIESMA · 18/11/2025 21:38

Spare the rod & spoil the child - I always took that to be an entreaty, not a warning of children growing up to be brats because they weren't routinely wallopedGrin

realsavagelike · 18/11/2025 21:37

HyggeTygge · 18/11/2025 21:36

I've probably gone on about this before but there's a MN post that always stuck in my head, about someone's young colleague who thought "three sheets to the wind" meant "really busy" ... telling colleagues/clients he couldn't help them as he was three sheets to the wind!

We also had a long thread recently about spitting feathers (and tangentially, spitting tacks).

OMG, that is priceless!

HyggeTygge · 18/11/2025 21:36

I've probably gone on about this before but there's a MN post that always stuck in my head, about someone's young colleague who thought "three sheets to the wind" meant "really busy" ... telling colleagues/clients he couldn't help them as he was three sheets to the wind!

We also had a long thread recently about spitting feathers (and tangentially, spitting tacks).

Heidi2018 · 18/11/2025 21:35

I know I defo have phrases I was using wrong but I can't remember them now. People saying generally instead of genuinely drives me nuts.

realsavagelike · 18/11/2025 21:32

SelfRaisingFlour · 18/11/2025 21:03

I didn't know that "prodigal son" meant he was wasteful not a golden boy.

Me either

Westly · 18/11/2025 21:32

In an English Literature degree exam, there was a question on the “status quo” being upset in King Lear. I thought the term meant a person of the highest status. Had done for years. So I answered the exam question on that basis. Wrote about it for an hour.

My wild misunderstanding pulled my whole exam mark down to 40, which was the pass mark. Luckily it was in my first year, so it didn’t count towards my degree. I was asked about that incongruous exam grade in many job interviews for many years where I had to disclose my full degree transcript. Nearly cost me a career. So embarrassing but very amusing.

tripleginandtonic · 18/11/2025 21:31

SelfRaisingFlour · 18/11/2025 21:03

I didn't know that "prodigal son" meant he was wasteful not a golden boy.

It's sort of both

Kreepture · 18/11/2025 21:31

thrift actually used to mean 'wealth" and it's from the word 'to thrive'

So a 'spendthrift' is someone that spends their wealth. the word as a whole is from about the mid 1500s

the meaning of 'thrifty' meaning frugal is from a similar time period (1500s) so the misunderstanding is from the singular word compared to the double word.

yes its confusing xD

soupyspoon · 18/11/2025 21:31

Yes off your own bat which I believe is a cricketing reference

I also say moot point a lot and unfortunately I think people think Im saying mute.

Turnitoffnonagain · 18/11/2025 21:29

I think a lot of people confuse " off your own bat" and say back. Which is incorrect. I think. 🤔
You can "give someone the shirt off your own back", though. Probably.🫣

DarkEyedSailor · 18/11/2025 21:27

CurlyhairedAssassin · 18/11/2025 21:22

Oh no, not Audrey, what was the plant's name?

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Audrey Junior

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