Things I'm embarrassed to have realised so late in life...

[OrangeFlowersAreLovely]

Those ID necklaces? I had absolutely never heard of the word "lanyard" until around 3 years ago. All my friend's children learnt this way before I did. If you had told me "Lanyard" was a European city - I'd have believed you.

That little press send arrow in the top right hand corner? It only occurred to me in my mid 30s that it is in fact a paper aeroplane. I just thought it was a dodgy triangle.

I was absolutely stunned to find out the woman who plays Amanda in Motherland is not Catherine Tate.

Any confessions to console me I'm not the only one failing at life?! 😃

@gatehouseoffleet Great example. This is what I was getting at when I asked earlier what the “thing” was. In this case, there is no thing. Saying “you have another thing coming” would give false hope that, while not getting a lolly, you might be getting another treat. It’s the exact opposite of what the phrase is supposed to convey.

Look forward to the explanations of this from the thing defenders… 😂

I used to get Bob Hoskins & Phil Collins mixed up!

Out for a meal with my colleagues in my very first job, I mentioned to one of them that the wine was out of date. He nearly choked, he was laughing so much

Thank God I told him and not the waiter! How was I to know about vintages?!

OTOH I am S T A G G E R E D at some other admissions... Not knowing where your tonsils are?! Thinking hares are mythical? Surely those are not possible? Maybe it's just people joking....

Definitely not joking. I genuinely thought the tonsils were either the uvula, or were just behind the uvula or were the bits attached to each side. Or possibly all of these. I think I only had tonsillitis once in my life so not had much reason to look at the back of my throat or think about where my tonsils are. I think I did see the area of the uvula be red and inflamed when I had tonsillitis so assumed this was the tonsils. I'd be interested to know how you learnt where they are?

It’s funny that people get so worked up about the ‘thing’/‘think’ thing! I only learnt about that a couple of years ago (in my 40s, and I think from MN) but when I realised, it made perfect sense. It’s also perfectly understandable how it happened - with ‘think’ followed by a word starting with a ‘c’, the second ‘c’ sound often gets swallowed up. So even if you adjust and start using the proper expression, it’s likely to sound almost identical to how you used to say it.

sort of opposite to that, I used to say ‘allergict’ as a kid.

Pontefract doesn’t sound at all welsh to me - in fact. It somehow sounds very Yorkshire - I think I sort of say it with a Yorkshire accent in my head.

my husband says advocado - he knows itms wrong but that's what he’s used to doing so he’ll probably never change!

I would class myself as being reasonably well travelled and I have lived in various places in Scotland, England and Wales. But I still have gaps in my knowledge. I also think maps are fascinating but it would take forever for me to learn great swathes of the British Isles to the point that I could confidently navigate. That’s just not how my brain works. Sounds like you are very much a visual learner. I’m quite jealous actually because my sense of direction is terrible.

I have five dc but it wasn't until dd showed me that if you stick your finger into the top of a banana you end up with three pieces that aren't slippery so are easier and less messy for a baby to hold and eat.

They don't grow on trees they are a sort of sea cucumber.

Thank you for that useful tip - I’ve sometimes wondered how to type ° and now I know.

This just made me laugh out loud.

I did confuse some places when I was younger. Not Pontefract because that's fairly local. And I've always known that Pomfret cakes are made of liquorice, not cake, and Pomfret is a contraction of Pontefract.

I used to think Leeds castle was in Leeds. Northampton and Southampton were next to each other. Dungeness is in Scotland near Loch Ness and Inverness.

I only realised in my 40s that its St Pancras Station. I'd been saying Pancreas, like the organ, for many years.

I thought narwhals were mythical creatures til about 18m ago!

They do, you know…..Growing loofahs

They absolutely do grow on trees.

I used to think Leeds castle was in Leeds.

That would be logical, wouldn't it?

I knew Bolton Priory (half ruined) was near Skipton not Bolton, but thought there was also an unruined Bolton Abbey in Bolton. Nope. Bolton Abbey is the area that Bolton Priory is in.

Owned by the Duke of Devonshire to add to the geographical confusion.

I have seen the loofah garden at Knightshayes!

Loofahs definitely grow on trees. But natural sponges come from the sea.

Oh, you are right. I'd assumed from the sea cucumber name that they grew in the sea!

Leeds castle is in Leeds!

It's in Kent.

Yes, Leeds in Kent!

Oh 🤣🤣🤣 the gay acorn!
I was also adamant that Pontefract MUST be in Wales.
And all the words I only read in my head and guessed wildly at how they might be pronounced 😂😂

Ha same, I've got some pretty printed things from H&m kids home that have animals and I was complaining to DP about the mythical creatures like unicorns and narwhals

If you want to consume more of these misconceptions, I have an old thread that tried to compile a load of them: www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/3418716-Pineapples-dont-grow-on-trees-and-other-misconceptions-that-MN-has-revealed-over-the-years?page=1

Here are a few nuggets from that thread (the following are all true but came as a surprise to some):

Portsmouth is on an island off the British mainland. Gibraltar is not an island.

'segue' is pronounced 'seg - way'

Gherkins are a type of cucumber that has been pickled.

Carolingian refers to Charlemagne, not to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I of Spain and V HRE.