To have reached the age of 38 without knowing

[lougle]

That pineapples don't grow on trees, but grow in the ground? I'm well educated, went to university (twice), but I had never thought about where my pineapple had come from, and it never occurred to me that the 'chopped' end was on the bottom and not the top!

What didn't you know until recently?

I've got that I've only just sorted out in my brain: when a candle burns, the wick is not the source of fuel with the wax simply melting to run down the sides and reveal more wick. Actually, some of the molten wax is sucked up by capillary action into the wick and provides the fuel for continued burning - it's quite a clever self-sustaining process that means combustion takes place slowly.

Cows lie down to conserve energy. Their digestive system means they don't need to move a lot so they can lie down to ruminate their grass (spit it and chew it again).

Actually, some of the molten wax is sucked up by capillary action into the wick and provides the fuel for continued burning - something which is very evident when you watch tea-lights burning, particularly when they've got to that stage when you just have a tin container of molten wax with a wick in it.

A candle is basically a solid-fuel oil lamp.

If you hadn't realised that's what the candle wick did, what did, what did you think they meant when they talked about socks and thermal underlayers being made of wicking fabric?

I presume I'm right in my assumption that candlewick bedspreads are made of the same thread that they use for candle wicks?

I found out the hard way that the wax carries the flame, when I was about 12 years old. I was fascinated by the burning candle, and for reasons I will never know, decided to dip some tissue into the melted wax. It was quite a long strip of tissue, as it happens. Before I knew it, I had a huge strip of fire traveling towards my hands. The wax had soaked into the tissue, and as I jumped back, I the tissue unrolled, revealing wax all the way up the length of the tissue, created a path for the flame in an instant. It was so amazing, but terrifying. I instinctively dropped it (on the carpet ) and stamped on it (brain cells working a little better) while my little sister gleefully went downstairs to dob on me alert my parents to the danger. Fortunately, the fire was out and no harm done.

I presume I'm right in my assumption that candlewick bedspreads are made of the same thread that they use for candle wicks?

Mind blown. This had honestly never occurred to me!

More Googling, yes, apparently Candlewicking is the name given to the technique of knotting the yarn to make the pretty patterns, but they did use the same yarn for making candles. According to Etsy, chenille (French for Caterpillar) is another term for the candlewick fabric.

When I was little and drew palm trees I used to add some pineapples hanging from them, in the same way coconuts do. So that's how I thought they grew.

Me too, and the coconuts are always brown. First time I saw I coconut palm I didn't know it was a coconut tree because it had no round, brown, dangly bits

what did you think they meant when they talked about socks and thermal underlayers being made of wicking fabric?

I can't answer that as I don't have a clue what wicking fabric is and don't recall anyone talking about that in my presence. So, more ignorance from me!

Candlewick fabric - I may be wrong in my assumption. Some say that candlewick bedspreads are so called because the tufts are like a candle wick, others say that the yarn used is the same that is used for candle wicks. But I haven't found anything authoritative either way. There's also reference to candlewick embroidery using actual candle wicks in place of embroidery thread - this uses white or neutral wick thread on a white muslin base, and looks like what we'd know as white work, a whole world away the multi-coloured pastel soft and densely tufted candlewick bedspreads of 50 years ago. Just look what happens when you disturb the surface of a question - a whole lot of other questions come welling up from underneath.

I can't answer that as I don't have a clue what wicking fabric is and don't recall anyone talking about that in my presence. It's used for base layers (eg vests or socks). It takes sweat from your body and pushes it out into the next layer above, so if you're out in the rain, instead of being all sweaty and wet from your impermeable raincoat not letting the sweat out, you stay nice and dry, and having a wicking layer to your socks keeps your feet dry and non-sweaty and stops you getting blisters.

I've just realised that when I'm seeing the gin emoji I'm pretty sure the poster hasn't meant to use the gin one. What's happening?

At a candlelit service at church last month, we all started with identical candles lit more or less at the same time, spread out on the back of each pew.

I was sitting in the front row and I was intrigued why my candle burnt more quickly than the person's on my left but not as fast as the person on my right - I put it down to just random variation in the wax / wick. Until...

At the end of the service I turned around to see all candles down the right-hand side had burnt to the base, while those down the left-hand side had a way to go. The only explanation was the positioning of the church heating, which meant the right-hand candles were slightly warmer, which had a subtle effect on burn rate.

Did you know that bananas split lengthways down the middle into 3 long seed pod thingies. V cool.

First time I saw I coconut palm I didn't know it was a coconut tree because it had no round, brown, dangly bits Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten that! The coconut is in the middle of a thick fibrous layer - we just see the last few fibres still stuck to the shell - the fibre is coir, traditionally used for doormats and now used for peat-free composts. So if your doormat dies, then it can go on your compost heap.

The other nice double-use "nut" that comes to mind is nutmeg - the hard nutmeg is surrounded by a bright orange network which is the spice mace. Not in any way related to the mace used as an anti-mugger deterrent, not to the mace that was swung by Michael Hesletine.

Me too, and the coconuts are always brown. First time I saw I coconut palm I didn't know it was a coconut tree because it had no round, brown, dangly bits grin

What are you trying to say?? Coconuts are not brown?? Mind blown...

Coconuts are not brown?? Mind blown... They're green, like walnuts. Then they may go sort of yellowy.

Grin gin

They're green, like walnuts. Eeehhh? Still doesn't make sense....

More where there should be grin 😂 Have started a thread about it!

DadDaddad I hope you weren't doing science in church, flipping heretic!

Both walnuts and coconuts grow inside fibrous green outers. With walnuts you can cut them off (actually, they look a bit like smooth conkers, with their outer green on), with coconuts, you pretty much need a machete. The outers do dry out and then fall off eventually I think. The brown strands on the outside of a coconut shell are the fibres from the outer husk.

You must have seen those coconut drinks, green bowl with a straw in?

Like worshipping God, I'll do science and maths anywhere and everywhere - inside or outside the walls of the church! As it happens, I'm church treasurer, so I can sort of combine the two...

DadDadDad that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Candles have a low melting point, so they would be affected by quite minor temperature variations. Either that, or was there a draft on the on the right? That would have accelerated the burn rate, also.

I was impressed when I first saw bananas growing. They have about 100 bananas on the bunch and an enormous red, pink or yellow flower, that grows on the end of a long stalk hanging down from the bananas. Amazing sight and bees love them.

Candle phenomenon certainly makes sense, the entertainment value was turning round right at the end to unexpectedly see rows of candles all showing the same pattern - satisfying example of experimental reproducibility!