Can we have an "OMG I can't believe I never realised that!" thread?

[TwigTheWonderKid]

Mine is Sandie Shaw. I can't believe it had never occurred to me until tonight that her name is a play on Sandy Shore.

Edinburgh is further west than Cardiff

Eroll I'm guessing pineapples grow on the ground, not in trees
No it's not a big glass tunnel where you can see fish as you zoom under the tunnel
Hawaii - Maui?

And about dandelions - the name comes from French "dent de lion" (lion's tooth) because the leaves are a bit jagged.

I loved the cow story, thank you!

I found out just tonight (after reading the zombie thread 'oh my God think my mug shot must be pinned to the counter in Boots') that I am very innocent. I came across two things I didn't know and asked my DD and DSIL what they meant. Their faces went first and then and I was told never ever never to look up those words. And as I don't want anything sketch on my search I shall never know

Words are: dragon butter (I thought it sounded like tiger balm) and blue waffle (not got a clue). However if you choose to undertake this quest, you have been warned by my DC, I take no responsibility for what you may find

@SkiingIsHeaven I recommend Rosamund Young’s book The Secret Life of Cows - you’ll never look at a field of cattle in the same way again!

I'm laughing about the dandelions! You obviously don't have as many in your lawns as I do.

Halle Berry has 11 toes

I don’t think you’re quite getting the thread here.

My xH thought for years that super plus tampons were for ladies with a large fadge. He was astonished to find out that they were for heavy periods

My favourite facts are always

1. hedgehogs are lactose intolerant
2. Male bees cannot sting
3. Salvador Dali designed the chupa chupa lollipop logo

I'm shocked at people not knowing about dandelion clocks. I think it's a bit sad.

That's BASIC knowledge. I guess I was lucky...my Mum always pointed out all of the flowers, plants and herbs as we walked along...told me their names and little bits of folklore about them.

My kids have had the same.

Loving the cow story 😊 🐮

@Pleasebeafleabite
My xH thought for years that super plus tampons were for ladies with a large fadge. He was astonished to find out that they were for heavy periods

DP was recently blown away when I pointed out that the toaster had a crumb tray which could be emptied.

That by law car number plates must be white at the front and yellow at the back. I had to run outside to check and was gobsmacked. 😱

I used to think James Bond was a real person

He was Ian Fleming's neighbour I believe, a well-known ornithologist, I also once taught a James Bond, what were his parents thinking, he looked just like the Milky Bar kid!

James Bond was a real person. When Ian Fleming was looking for a name for his main character he found a book on British Birds by , James Bond.

I'm laughing about the dandelions! You obviously don't have as many in your lawns as I do

I can't believe it either! Stop blowing the damned things, that's why there are so many dandelions!

That's bizarre that anyone would think that Hawaii was just off the coast of California. I live on the West Coast and it takes 5 hours to get there on a direct flight.

What is amazing is the original people who settled Hawaii set out across the Pacific Ocean from other Pacific islands on effectively a fancy raft and found the islands at all, as there is nothing close for hundreds and hundreds of miles in every direction. They were truly epic seafarers, I guess that's the premise for the Disney movie Moana but still so staggering.

The Serbian Playboy Spy that James Bond was based on.

www.bbc.com/reel/video/p086f8jn/the-playboy-serbian-spy-who-inspired-james-bond

I'm amazed people don't know that about dandelions, must all be city types.

I didn't know Puerto Rico was a US territory til quite recently and that they have American citizenship.

I didn’t know that you can use a hand peeler with the moveable blade in an up and down stroke. Always peeled in one direction before.

DH informed me recently that the Michelin stars that restaurants get are from the company that makes the tyres - I never really thought about it tbh but I guess I just assumed it was two companies with the same name.

This was because the tyre company made a travel guide for car owners.

@VerticalHorizon Edinburgh is further west than Cardiff

This has blown my mind! I didn’t think it could possibly be true, but they look about the same when I had a quick look on Google maps so I’ll take your word for it.

In my defence I am not from the UK. And I knew dandelion clocks were old flowers!

I'm not getting the relevance of Sandie Shaw sounding like sandy shore. I mean I know it sounds the same but why is that considered a pun?

What's the exploitation of play-on words?

@ChanklyBore @PrincessFiorimonde

I'm from Portsmouth and I promise this wasn't me but a friend's nan who had lived there all her life, was convinced that too go to the Isle of Wight she needed her passport and took it religiously every time!

My own nan used to say that people who slammed Portsea Island never need come over the bridge. She was such a loving and generous woman but she hated people being horrible about a place she loved so much.