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Original poster

What dumb thing has taken you forever to realise?

734 replies

muchalover · 26/08/2023 19:45

Nights in white satin song was playing in the car today. A favourite song of mine so I was singing along and it dawned on me that the word is "nights," not "knights".

Whole song makes much more sense now 😳

I had a similar issue with "Toyota, the car in front" but it's a Nissan I'm behind (or other car brand).

And in the film Winnie the Pooh where the gopher says "I'm not in the book" and I thought it was the phone book😬 for decades!

I promise I'm intelligent.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
20
samuelclemens · 26/08/2023 21:50

This is a common one that comes up on these but passport being pass port, passing the port.

Louisetopaz21 · 26/08/2023 21:51

Rufus27 · 26/08/2023 21:50

I’d been driving for over a decade before realising this wasn’t actually a sign reminding me to wear my seatbelt 😳

GrinGrinGrin

Babbleoff · 26/08/2023 21:55

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 26/08/2023 21:34

I thought Hyperbole was said as it looks until very recently.
I'm just glad I never had reason to say it out loud.

Show quote history

Have just googled this and cant actually get over how its pronounced! Hyper-belly??? Not hyper-bowl??!

Firstruleofsoupover · 26/08/2023 21:55

I had several unsuccessful attempts to explore nearby towns following a move to a different county. Due to the highways signs reading :

Name of Nearby Town
Town Centre
Other

Thinking great, Nearby Town’s Town Centre is just where I want to be!

But always ending up in my own Town Centre.

Lyrics wise I offer “You’re a wobbly dog!” (You are the one I want - Grease) and Eddie Grants famous “Living on the Front Lawn”.

Ohyesreally · 26/08/2023 21:59

Tripolitripodder · 26/08/2023 20:12

Not me but my friend this one.She kept saying to us,how come this person gets so many letters sent in to problem pages,has so many issues etc.The person she was referring to was Anon.Hahahaha we fell over laughing as we told her it was Anon for Anonymous not a person called Anon with a fetish for writing to problem pages etc.

I thought the same about Tia on the end of lots of posts online (for others also unaware it actually stands for, thanks in advance) 😆

DarkPsy · 26/08/2023 22:01

Dd5 pointed out that cars have a white license plate in front and a yellow one in the back. I was 38 at the time.

Didn't realise raisins are just thirsty grapes.

I've also recently learned that when you see 25% next to the rain picture on your weather app, it doesn't mean there's a 25% chance of rain. It means 25% of your area will experience rain. Or does that equate to the same thing? I'm not very bright.

Doggymummar · 26/08/2023 22:02

iwantawisteriathisyear · 26/08/2023 21:21

I only realised recently that thunder and lightning weren't two completely separate things. I didn't know that the thunder was the noise of the lightning. I haven't confessed that to anyone. Until now Blush

They are two separate things.

Fernticket · 26/08/2023 22:06

Firstruleofsoupover · 26/08/2023 21:55

I had several unsuccessful attempts to explore nearby towns following a move to a different county. Due to the highways signs reading :

Name of Nearby Town
Town Centre
Other

Thinking great, Nearby Town’s Town Centre is just where I want to be!

But always ending up in my own Town Centre.

Lyrics wise I offer “You’re a wobbly dog!” (You are the one I want - Grease) and Eddie Grants famous “Living on the Front Lawn”.

Loving the lyrics😂😂.
Got the potential for a whole new thread!!

DreamTheMoors · 26/08/2023 22:08

I thought Neil Diamond’s song was “reverend blue jeans.”
It’s “forever in blue jeans.” 😂

Jifmicroliquid · 26/08/2023 22:08

Doggymummar · 26/08/2023 22:02

They are two separate things.

Show quote history

Thunder is just the sound of the electricity that causes the lightening.

HyggeTyggeDotCom · 26/08/2023 22:09

I always used to think Elton John was singing about Coco Pops and a sack of rice. Needless to say it’s cold cold hearts and sacrifice! I did giggle to myself every time the dua lipa version came on the radio remembering my past errors!

Anxioys · 26/08/2023 22:09

I thought Celine Dion was singing about that she didn't want to be Harban Marcel, who I assumed was some French guy.

Years later, I realized it was, "don't want to be all by myself".

MrsRachelDanvers · 26/08/2023 22:11

Move22 · 26/08/2023 20:34

Fortnight
= fourteen nights

We used to say sennight too for a week but that dropped out of use!

Notellinganyone · 26/08/2023 22:11

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 26/08/2023 21:34

I spent years wondering how the police would know whether it was robbers driving and that they needed to follow the van, or if it was just the poor securicor person trying to do their job and getting constantly pulled over! One day I read it and it just clicked. My red face probably contributed to global warming

I think I even mentioned it to my Dad once when I was a teenager and he gave some sarcastic reply that years later I realised he thought I was taking the piss!

Other things have mostly been pronouncing words I'd only seen written. I remember saying gesture as
guest-ture when I was a teen at school and nearly dying from the embarrassment of the resulting laughter. I still, 20 odd years later, read it as guest-ture in my head.

The other is hyperbole. Surely it should be hyper-bowl. Like the bole of a tree!? I thought someone was on a wind up the first time I heard it said Blush

It’s Greek- two words , hyper and bole. The bole is pronounced vol-ee in Greek so we say hyper - bolee.

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 26/08/2023 22:12

For ages I thought there was a US state called Arkansaw in addition to Arkansas.

Though I genuinely get annoyed when people are sniffy about mispronunciation of words, it often means they're only seen them written down. I was a voracious reader as a child, who didn't have an especially cultured upbringing, so I learnt a lot of words from reading, which is no bad thing ime.

SloraceHughorn · 26/08/2023 22:13

I once used pipe cleaners to unblock some hair from my shower. When I mentioned to FiL they were a bit lacking for the job he told me what they are actually for 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

DragonFly98 · 26/08/2023 22:13

I didn't realise that;
"I'll look at the sun and I'll look in the mirror"
in the Lily Allen song The Fear refers to the newspapers and not the actual sun and a mirror.

FatOaf · 26/08/2023 22:14

Eventually I realised it was 5 hungry children...

But you didn't realise it was loose wheel 😁

ElEmEnOhPee · 26/08/2023 22:14

Redavocadoes · 26/08/2023 21:22

"You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille
With 5 hundred children, and a crop in the field"

Eventually I realised it was 5 hungry children...

I also thought this, only figured it out a couple of years ago! Great song though.

ilovepixie · 26/08/2023 22:16

I thought TIA at the end of posts asking questions was the persons name!

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 26/08/2023 22:16

LittleGreyGoose · 26/08/2023 20:00

In my head I had always imaged the Elgin Marbles to be big and round like oversized actual marbles. And I have a degree in history.

I've seen the Elgin marbles, and I STILL think of them as giant round marbles!

ThisIsMyEarthSong · 26/08/2023 22:16

Is that not how it’s actually pronounced?? 😳

Lostinplaces · 26/08/2023 22:16

I sang “my love has got no money, he’s got his trampoline” absolutely years. Kept thinking poor sod should sell the trampoline.

ThisIsMyEarthSong · 26/08/2023 22:17

Sorry that was to @sugarplum33

blankittyblank · 26/08/2023 22:18

@Babbleoff

Have just googled this and cant actually get over how its pronounced! Hyper-belly??? Not hyper-bowl??!*
*
It's not hyper-belly- it's hi-per-bol-ee.

I only realised it when I was watching the news once and couldn't figure out what they were saying!