Things you assumed and were astonished to find out you were completely wrong

[Cattery]

For example: The Elgin Marbles. Heard these mentioned from time to time over the years. Always pictured marbles; kids’ marbles. Then I heard they were something to do with Greece and I’ve always thought Elgin was there. Got it all completely wrong

We used to sit down for lunch and the radio would be on for my Dad to listen to the news. They would often talk about 'a man is helping police with their enquiries.'

I used to think what a lot of kind men there were, being so helpful .... 😱

Is it?

It isn't exactly an assumption but, when advising my grandson just how hot the boiling sugar mix we were using for cooking was - I told him it was as hot as lava. Then I thought to myself that that was ridicu!ous, because the pan would melt it it was as hot as lava, so I had to tell him I thought I was wrong and that we should look it up. Turns out that lava is around 10 times as hot as boiling sugar. (Don't quote me on that!) We agreed that boiling sugar is still really hot though!

Same! Really did think it was the plastic surgery capital of America. Lol. Couldn't understand why all these computer whizz kids were talking about working in silicone valley.

i learnt this on another MN thread not that long ago. I was - wtf! It’s cos of the Sultan I’m sure.,

Mine were pronounciation misunderstandings
My DGM was a Florist/Greengrocer on the borders of Wales and we lived in London so very different accents.
When we visited her as a child i thought she was saying the Old Sailers are coming today, i was always disappointed that the old men in bell bottom sailor suits never came to her shop. When i was older i found out that she was saying "wholesalers"😂

I went to Austria when I was 8 and wondered where the kangaroos were.

Same here! I remember being surprised by that as a kid when the Falklands war broke out.

I've had the same experience, and was particularly peeved (having forgotten my umbrella) that none of their overpriced shops actually sold umbrellas...

In fairness though, using that logic you could say that you'd wonder what the UK thought it was doing trying to claim them seeing as how they are just off the coastline of Argentina....

Logic...always gets in the way there.

Don’t think I thought too deeply about it apart from maybe they’d already disposed of the body 🤷‍♀️

why do people think that people with DIFFERENT NAMES are the same person?

Another University Challenge one, as a kid I always thought the two teams were sitting one on top of the other because of the split-screen thing (or whatever it's called)... a few people I know have said the same, so I'm guessing it's a common misconception! 😄

Ah true enough

Falklanders very much saw themselves as British though. It was a right faff for Britain to have to fight Argentina over them, even if it did improve Thatcher’s popularity in the end. Some Tory politician wanted to give every islander £1mill to accept Argentinian sovereignty.

Didn’t we all

It's not Welsh, it's latin!

The name Pontefract is taken from the Latin Pons – meaning bridge, and Fractus – meaning broken.

And me!

So all the cemeteries are empty.....? This is a strange one. Good thread.

I once met someone called Nina, short for Karenina - her mum saw Anna Karenina on a bookshelf as a child and thought karen-NINA (as she pronounced it in her head) was just the prettiest name. I think that's quite sweet, and it's nice to have a wee story behind your name!

This is the kind of thing that would have me waking up sweating in the middle of the night for years afterwards! Have I got this right? Your newish friend, whose son is a friend of your child, refers to his ex-wife as Himmler. You hear it as Himla. Her real name is (say) Jane. Jane comes to your house to collect her son from a playdate. You call to the children 'Himmler's here!'

How did she react?

That's brilliant. I'm going to steal that one!!! Thank you lovely view's dad. 😁

what about the folk who enjoy eating faggots with peas?

Say what now? I thought the instep was the same as the arch of your foot?

In the book it’s mirror mirror, Disney just has to change things for no good reason.

I had to get to this post to work out they are the same person.

Still have no real idea who, but Flintoff sticks in the mind (bc it sounds like Flintstone!) so I know I've heard it on the radio linked to sports.