Page 8 | Something you’ve done or said as an adult that now makes you cringe/embarrassed.

Conniebygaslight · 2024-07-19T20:07:45+00:00

Just reading another thread and it made me think about things that I’ve said or done in the past but that I would never do now. I do find myself more forgiving of younger adults though so maybe that’s the way… it goes but I do cringe at my younger behaviour. I was in my early 20s and a few of us went wedding dress shopping with a colleague. I tried on so many dresses and made the whole trip about me. I wasn’t getting married and the bride was about 10 years older than me and didn’t seem bothered but I’ve often thought about it and how awful it must have been. It makes my toes curl….I’m early 50s now and soooo different.

wtfissummer · 21/07/2024 11:09

Anonym00se · 19/07/2024 22:19

I was once walking along the street in the city centre. A young man was approaching me, but still a fair distance away. He looked right at me and gave me two thumbs ups. I thought it was quite weird and didn’t know what to do so, being British, I decided the polite course of action was to give him two thumbs up back. He didn’t drop his thumbs, so I felt I should also keep mine up. So there I am walking along, my two thumbs aloft feeling incredibly awkward. As he got much closer I saw that he was actually just holding onto the straps of his backpack, not giving any thumbs up at all. Nothing in my life makes me cringe as hard as the memory of this fairly innocuous event.

Now THAT's hilarious 🤣🤣

GiveMyHeadPeaceffs · 21/07/2024 11:16

AnonAnonEmouse · 19/07/2024 23:10

I'm a clumsy fucker and have gone to shake hands with a man and thrust my hands into his crotch before now. He looked surprised (as well he might!) and we both pretended like I hadn't just reached for his knob

Properly laughing out loud at this 😂

AzureAnt · 21/07/2024 11:21

Thewaytogohome · 21/07/2024 11:02

Did you ever go back to work? What did he say? Was he single? So many questions!!!!

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Yes I went back 😀I was a bit more bullet proof back in my teens and probably didn't really think there was anything inappropriate about snogging the manager against his will 😬 oh and to my eternal shame i believe he was married 🙄

libertybonds · 21/07/2024 11:31

Moonshiners · 19/07/2024 23:03

During a zoom team meeting in a relatively new, and pretty professional job, which I had started only a couple of months before lockdown. I managed to "speak to the boss" for the first time.

It was during the early days of the pandemic. The CEO of our organisation was about an hour and half into a meeting which mainly consisted of him talking. I had muted and turned my camera off (as was allowed) and though it was very dull was trying very hard to concentrate.
At one point I couldn't take any more and said to myself 'fuck me just shut up will you".
Obviously I had failed to mute my myself.
After a stunned silence the CEO said "moonshiners, you seem to have quite a strong opinion on this, anything to add".
I sheepishly replied "ermmm no all sounds good" before slowly dying of shame. The only thing that lifted the mood was my other colleague snorting and then muting, so at least we had something to bond over when we all finally met post lockdown.

😅

This is brilliant! Who among us hasn't wanted to do the same???

sunshine237 · 21/07/2024 12:37

Anonym00se · 19/07/2024 22:19

I was once walking along the street in the city centre. A young man was approaching me, but still a fair distance away. He looked right at me and gave me two thumbs ups. I thought it was quite weird and didn’t know what to do so, being British, I decided the polite course of action was to give him two thumbs up back. He didn’t drop his thumbs, so I felt I should also keep mine up. So there I am walking along, my two thumbs aloft feeling incredibly awkward. As he got much closer I saw that he was actually just holding onto the straps of his backpack, not giving any thumbs up at all. Nothing in my life makes me cringe as hard as the memory of this fairly innocuous event.

This. Is. Amazing. Really made me laugh out loud

ZuzuMyLittleGingersnap · 21/07/2024 14:09

LizTruss · 21/07/2024 10:32

No, not me.

Nothing that I can think of.

Hmmm, nope. 😶

< waves to delusional Liz Truss >
😆

poshsnobtwit · 21/07/2024 16:40

I did a research masters at quite a prestigious university that attracted a lot of international students. We were put into groups, and we introduced ourselves to each other and where we were from. One woman said she was from Kentucky, to which I immediately shouted "Oh my God you are from Kentucky and you can read and write, that is amazing!". Obviously the second I said it, I wanted to die, and tried to explain myself by saying the only Kentuckians I knew of were from watching Ricki Lake in my teens, and they always said they couldn't read or write. She said it was fine, that even many Americans thought this too, and would be surprised she had shoes, as apparently this was another stereotype. I felt increasingly awful and stupid and apologized about 30 more times in the tutorial. I never mentioned it again but couldn't look at her in the eye again.

TypingoftheDead · 21/07/2024 17:51

Tales from my time working in a nursing home:
When I was a fairly new member of staff (a self conscious, shy, wouldn’t say boo to a goose teenager) I noticed the nurse on duty that day trying to open up a folding wheelchair and decided to ‘help,’ but the chair pinched her fingers in the process. She very angrily said “thank you very much!” Out of force of habit, I replied “you’re welcome” 😂
Was letting a visitor in one day and she was wearing the brightest trainers I’d ever seen - I literally had to drag my eyes away to sign her in, and even then I was trying not to start staring at them again. She saw the funny side, but I felt embarrassed about it.

Pre-Covid, we had a handyman who had diabetes. We were talking to each other on a break once, and he explained that he injected himself with insulin every day. I replied, “I couldn’t do that,” and knew how stupid I looked as soon as the words came out of my mouth. I had already had training on diabetes and had had a diabetic friend in college who had to have insulin shots as well.

Something similar happened more recently; I went to a local quay for ice cream one day, and a search & rescue team were there. One of the guys queued up behind me to get food from the kiosk; I turned to him and asked if something was going on - he replied “yes, we’re looking for a missing person,” in a neutral tone. I mean, yes it was obvious why they were there, and there was even a helicopter circling above us. I felt like an idiot for weeks afterwards, though hoped they found the missing person and that they were ok.

JohnTheRevelator · 21/07/2024 18:04

FknOmniShambles · 21/07/2024 04:48

Once, I was rushing to work and didn't have time for breakfast so I took the healthy choice and necked a can of diet coke in the car on the way in. I was running late and when I got to my desk, huffing and puffing, the phone was already ringing. I picked it up and opened my mouth to say good morning but instead did a HUGE burp straight down the receiver. Not a little gulpy, hiccuppy one but a proper earth shaker. The person on the end of the line was saying "hello?! Hello?!" and I just had to put the phone down. It was just awful.
Disgusting I know.

😂😂😂

Musntapplecrumble · 21/07/2024 21:20

Timefordrama · 20/07/2024 23:50

@MoonWoman69 , the vision of you skating down the hill, knocking all and sundry out of your way, made me cry with laughter. Thank you!

...and being cheered on! 🤣🤣

Beesandhoney123 · 19/09/2024 22:54

Anonym00se · 19/07/2024 22:19

I was once walking along the street in the city centre. A young man was approaching me, but still a fair distance away. He looked right at me and gave me two thumbs ups. I thought it was quite weird and didn’t know what to do so, being British, I decided the polite course of action was to give him two thumbs up back. He didn’t drop his thumbs, so I felt I should also keep mine up. So there I am walking along, my two thumbs aloft feeling incredibly awkward. As he got much closer I saw that he was actually just holding onto the straps of his backpack, not giving any thumbs up at all. Nothing in my life makes me cringe as hard as the memory of this fairly innocuous event.

This, the lunge with your new DP watching and the asda one made me laugh:)

Original poster

Conniebygaslight · 19/09/2024 23:02

Beesandhoney123 · 19/09/2024 22:54

This, the lunge with your new DP watching and the asda one made me laugh:)

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I still laugh about the thumbs up one…

OP posts:

OriginalUsername2 · 19/09/2024 23:57

The night I first read this thread I kept having laughter fits in bed thinking about the thumbs up and the lunge 😂

Original poster

Conniebygaslight · 27/08/2025 22:31

Anonym00se · 19/07/2024 22:19

I was once walking along the street in the city centre. A young man was approaching me, but still a fair distance away. He looked right at me and gave me two thumbs ups. I thought it was quite weird and didn’t know what to do so, being British, I decided the polite course of action was to give him two thumbs up back. He didn’t drop his thumbs, so I felt I should also keep mine up. So there I am walking along, my two thumbs aloft feeling incredibly awkward. As he got much closer I saw that he was actually just holding onto the straps of his backpack, not giving any thumbs up at all. Nothing in my life makes me cringe as hard as the memory of this fairly innocuous event.

12 months on and I still talk about this….funniest thing ever.

OP posts:

DamnYerEyes · 29/08/2025 08:48

AnonAnonEmouse · 19/07/2024 23:10

I'm a clumsy fucker and have gone to shake hands with a man and thrust my hands into his crotch before now. He looked surprised (as well he might!) and we both pretended like I hadn't just reached for his knob

🤣🤣🤣

Lurkingandlearning · 29/08/2025 09:01

ilovepixie · 19/07/2024 21:42

I'd left my partner off at work and kissed him goodbye, stopped at Asda for a click and collect order and when the Asda man gave me the order, I lent in to kiss him goodbye too! He jerked away with a horrified expression on his face! 😱😱

You win. I’m blushing just imagining it 😂😂

libertybonds · 29/08/2025 09:03

Conniebygaslight · 27/08/2025 22:31

12 months on and I still talk about this….funniest thing ever.

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I also think about this sometimes 😅

Imlyingandthatsthetruth · 29/08/2025 09:11

Does a near miss count? When I was very inexperienced in my job I had to attend a fairly formal training course with guest speakers. At the end of the first session the trainer picked one of us to give a short vote of thanks. It was at this point I realised that I didn't have a clue what that was and had I been picked I would have asked the attendees to actually vote on whether the speaker had done a good job!

Forty years later and I am cringing at what might have been.

DamnYerEyes · 30/08/2025 08:14

MumofSpud · 20/07/2024 20:40

My first day at a new job (I was late 20s so not even youth as an excuse)
My new colleague told me his wife (who also worked there) was pregnant and I asked 'Is it yours?)
I have no idea why I said that - my mouth just worked by itself!
I am not even a horrible person !

Turned out though that she had been having an affair so my question was quite apt but I wasn't to know that at the time

When I first read this I thought it was your boss.

sashh · 31/08/2025 09:19

VeryQuaintIrene · 19/07/2024 23:06

I'm so intrigued - are you Camilla Parker-Bowles, who did that very thing to Charles and Di?!

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Princess Anne wore white too.
The Queen (old one) did the same to Charles and Camilla.

Original poster

Conniebygaslight · 31/08/2025 21:59

Imlyingandthatsthetruth · 29/08/2025 09:11

Does a near miss count? When I was very inexperienced in my job I had to attend a fairly formal training course with guest speakers. At the end of the first session the trainer picked one of us to give a short vote of thanks. It was at this point I realised that I didn't have a clue what that was and had I been picked I would have asked the attendees to actually vote on whether the speaker had done a good job!

Forty years later and I am cringing at what might have been.

🤣🤣

OP posts:

crackofdoom · 31/08/2025 23:28

A family friend many years ago went round to her boyfriend's parents for the first time.

She was making a fuss of the family spaniel and her boyfriend's mum said "Ooh, give her a biscuit!", and she was passed a rather unappealing looking biscuit, which she ate to be polite.

It was a dog biscuit. Meant for the spaniel.