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Original poster

What things took you far too long to realise was a, erm... "thing"?

335 replies

ChippySauce · 03/02/2025 18:35

Sorry for awkward title!

I never realised until a couple of years ago (I'm 52 😳) that at the ends of the tubes of foil, clingfilm etc, there are two little tabs you push in to "hold" the roll when you pulled it.

What other "things" can you teach this old dog?

OP posts:
SkiingIsHeaven · 04/02/2025 00:04

Peanuts grow underground.

I know. My mind was blown when I found that out.

Brigette67 · 04/02/2025 00:07

sunshineandshowers40 · 03/02/2025 19:14

My DC are teens and I only heard this a couple of years ago- obvious when you think about it!

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I don’t understand this one - 🙈

Caswallonthefox · 04/02/2025 00:09

mumda · 03/02/2025 21:52

And if it said merge like a zipper then people would feel much better about both sides of the road being used to queue for it and thus the reduction in the length of the queue.

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It's called a zipper merge in America.

HellofromJohnCraven · 04/02/2025 00:18

PickleJelly · 03/02/2025 20:31

Wait, what is it then?

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Left luggage is luggage you deliberately leave, and pay for it be kept there. As opposed to lost property. I realised this about 2 years ago. I think I maybe read too much paddington as a child!

squishee · 04/02/2025 00:20

mumda · 03/02/2025 21:52

And if it said merge like a zipper then people would feel much better about both sides of the road being used to queue for it and thus the reduction in the length of the queue.

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The German version is Reißverschlussverfahren: zip process.

squishee · 04/02/2025 00:23

StormingNorman · 03/02/2025 22:33

Lefty Lucy Righty Tighty. I was 46 when it was explained to me what this meant and that everything works in the same way.

Lefty Loosey, surely?

squishee · 04/02/2025 00:27

SkiingIsHeaven · 04/02/2025 00:04

Peanuts grow underground.

I know. My mind was blown when I found that out.

Peanuts, AKA groundnuts.

JHound · 04/02/2025 00:45

CurlyhairedAssassin · 03/02/2025 23:53

Sorry that was about the lefty lucy righty tighty thing.

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I was really confused for a minute 😄

Negroany · 04/02/2025 00:49

squishee · 04/02/2025 00:23

Lefty Loosey, surely?

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Exactly!

Original poster
ChippySauce · 04/02/2025 06:34

Lefty Lucy made me laugh 😅

OP posts:
LovelySunnyDayToday · 04/02/2025 07:17

CurlyhairedAssassin · 03/02/2025 23:53

I don't think this has always been a thing. I first heard of this when Ant and Dec said it a few years back on I'm a Celeb. It's pretty stupid, because if it's something which goes in a full circle, as soon as you're looking at it from quarter past three (or 90 degrees) it's moving left. But it's tightening it. It's only when you start at 12 o'clock position that the lefty lucy crap works.

I don't know what's wrong with clockwise and anti clockwise, but then I suppose this marks me out as old and understanding what analogue clocks are, as opposed to having only been brought up with digital.

Clock wise is always to the right.

CluelessAsFuck · 04/02/2025 07:20

In NL it's called "ritsen" as in "zipping up" :-)

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2025 07:22

ChippySauce · 03/02/2025 19:11

I took photos but can't seem to be able to add them?
Has the attach an image function been disabled, or just me?!

Anyway, now that I've had a close up inspection, I've realised there are even helpful arrows which have "Push in tab to hold roll" instructions 😅

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This explains why I spent bloody ages trying to attach a photo to a post a few days ago,but ended up giving up. I thought I was doing something wrong!

StormingNorman · 04/02/2025 07:29

ChippySauce · 04/02/2025 06:34

Lefty Lucy made me laugh 😅

I’ve never seen it written before but Loosey does make more sense 😂

RampantIvy · 04/02/2025 07:30

NattyTurtle59 · 03/02/2025 23:22

I'm sitting here rather amused that so many MNers don't actually know where NZ is 😃Maybe it's because it's not uncommon for us to be left completely off maps!

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I'm anorak who likes looking at maps, so I know where it is. I also do Worldle most days.

JohnTheRevelator · 04/02/2025 07:38

Eminybob · 03/02/2025 19:25

I knew this one. DH didn't, he was stabbing the seal with a sharp knife for years.

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A lot of things that come in squeezy tubes, including creams for medical conditions,have this tiny little point built into the lid. I discovered it myself many years ago!

HamandCheeseSandwich · 04/02/2025 08:02

Brigette67 · 04/02/2025 00:07

I don’t understand this one - 🙈

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Instead of un popping the bottom bits and pulling the poo covered baby grow/vest over their head, pull the neck of the vest down over their shoulders, towards their legs (the envelope fold allows this), no poo near mouth/nose/ears/eyes.

HamandCheeseSandwich · 04/02/2025 08:08

JHound · 03/02/2025 23:42

Surely this cannot be true?

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Why can't it be true? Buffalo are basically just cows.

dynamiccactus · 04/02/2025 08:28

NattyTurtle59 · 03/02/2025 23:22

I'm sitting here rather amused that so many MNers don't actually know where NZ is 😃Maybe it's because it's not uncommon for us to be left completely off maps!

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When I was at school we had a map of the world on the blackboard in the geography classroom - with the usual projection: Americas to the left, Europe/Africa in the middle, Asia to the right with Australia in the bottom right hand corner.

in our first lesson the teacher said "this map makes me so cross, look what they've done to New Zealand" - it was on the left hand side, to the (far) left of Chile. Totally different to the normal practice of putting it "next to" Australia!

dynamiccactus · 04/02/2025 08:30

brunettemic · 03/02/2025 22:11

Yes but I take advantage of those numpties everyday and happily go down the outside lane of the queue and just merge in. Saves me a lot of queuing time 😂 I really like it when people try to sit across two lanes to block it as there’s usually still space to get past, there was a VERY angry woman who tried to do that to me a couple of weeks ago, all I did was wave, no idea why she was so worked up.

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The reason you get the conflict is because you have to do one or the other.

Get in to the left early and there's no queue.

Zip from the outset and it moves fast.

Mix the two systems and you get a horrendous queue.

dynamiccactus · 04/02/2025 08:31

IAmNeverThePerson · 03/02/2025 21:01

On parking signs what no return in 2 hours meant. I thought it meant if you stayed for two hours (over the parking time) your car would be towed. DS1 explained that one to me.

I didn't understand the "no return within x hours" for years either. I think I thought you had to be away for exactly two hours and couldn't come back to the car early!

mumda · 04/02/2025 08:40

squishee · 04/02/2025 00:20

The German version is Reißverschlussverfahren: zip process.

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They must have big road signs!

CheekyHobson · 04/02/2025 09:07

I’m in New Zealand and I think it took me till my 20s to work out that Scotland and England were both part of the same landmass. You wouldn’t think I got a scholarship in Geography, would you.

gatheryerosebuds · 04/02/2025 09:16

Anotherfrozenpizzafortea · 03/02/2025 19:16

That the outside of the tomato puree lid can be used to break the foil lid of the tube, there's like a teeny Philips screw but in there!

I loved doing this as a child in the 70s!

gatheryerosebuds · 04/02/2025 09:22

Booboobagins · 03/02/2025 21:16

And you're not alone. All the numpties queuing in 1 lane for miles when there should be 2 orderly queues!

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Yes the whole point of two lanes is often to get cars off a roundabout so they don’t clog other traffic for miles, but the number of people who don’t know this and who won’t allow merging from the right despite signs!

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