To ask the most basic thing you never knew/misunderstood until adulthood

[ChanandlerBongsLeftShoe]

I feel like a completely ridiculous excuse for an adult but the other day I found out the difference between cottage pie and shepherds pie.

I am in my 30s and gobsmacked (also feel a bit stupid now it's so obvious). I genuinely thought they were the same thing.

Is there anything you discovered as an adult that was just common knowledge to everyone else? Or perhaps there's a phrase you've found out you have been saying wrong all this time etc...!

Help me feel a bit better.

I've only just found out that horses sleep standing up.

A gypsy horse has appeared tethered to a field close to where we live. When we drove past it the other day it was laid down. I asked DH to stop the car so I could go check if it was dead.
DH: why would it be dead?
Me: Cos it's laid down
DH: I can see that, it's probably sleeping
Me: no horses sleep standing up!

DH, DS and even 9yo DD all erupted into hysterics and now take the piss out of me every time we see a horse.

I blame black beauty! The chapter where gets colic and she can't let him lie down or he will die!

should say that horses DONT sleep standing up!!!

I thought Spandau ballet was a German ballet. I remember saying to a group of friends in college that I couldn’t imagine the guy from eastenders doing ballet. No one said anything, they just all looked weird and went uh huh and then YEARS later I realised it was a music group and I cringed at what they must have thought (and said behind my back) 🤣

See, that's the sort of thing I used to say when I was in my teens, and get the rip mercilessly pulled out of me for it. Someone said to me 'What do you think of Japan?' and I said 'I don't know, I've never been there' (well actually my reply was a lot longer and nerdier than that, but that was the gist of it. And as the band in question was a one-hit wonder the edited version improves with time. )

I find it hard to laugh at, though - those teen years were horrible and I still remember the humiliation and the constant sense that every conversation was a minefield.

A friend thought that restaurants advertising a pre-theatre meal meant you had to be going to the theatre to eat there. He thought you would have to show your ticket to be allowed to order from that menu

Not gonna lie... I would assume that too!!

Horses do sleep standing up though? They have special knees that lock out and they do it because it takes them so long to get up they wouldn’t be able to because of predators?

They can lie down to sleep also but lying down doesn’t always equal sleep. Or so I thought?

As a child :

From the prayer 'gentle Jesus meek and mild'

I thought the line was 'pity mice in plicity' thinking Plicity was some sort of mouse hell.

Jodhpurs Pronounced jodhoppers as you and your pony hopped over fences.

Also wondered why a green tree would or would not need a city wall around it

My mother also pronounced portakabin as poor take a bin. Once heard you can't forget it

@ShirleyPhallus do they??? Does this mean I'm not a complete idiot (as my mean old family have made me feel!)?

The Simon and Garth Funkel one has really tickled me! And also reminded me of a friend who, during all the reporting of the Jimmy Savile scandal, confessed that she'd always thought his proper name was Jimmel Savile. She'd never realised that the name of his TV show was "Jim'll Fix It" as in Jim WILL fix it. She just thought his name was part of the title!

I was wondering why I couldn't find anything out about the Hollywood Empress - who she was, why was she so special, why did every actor thank her when they won an award. Yeah, it's Hollywood Foreign Press.

I'm happily chuffed that I wasn't the only one who was oblivious to the pepper changing colour thing.

I called my friend and said her info was being dissed on MN (she audibly eyerolled 😂) and confirmed that the variety her DF grew changed through the colours.

So there

This post is GOLD! I've learned more than I care to admit.

Going to out another friend who was adamant it was Pre-Madonna and not primadonna. Took a lot of convincing on my part.

The cold war, I thought it was a time in history when it had been permanently freezing.

These I also learnt on Mumsnet - there is a little arrow on your car's fuel gauge which points to which side your filler cap is on. Also in a cardboard box containing clingfilm etc, there is a little tab at each side to hold the roll in place. My mind was blown**

Not on my car.

Peppers don't change colour!

Green ones turn red, yes. Orange and yellow ones don't turn red- they are different varieties! (although they may be green originally before they ripen)

@TallulahBetty

I also thought that about Sinn Fein until I read your post

Colleague couldn’t understand why parentcraft classes were “anti” natal.

For those asking about the chicken crossing the road joke, someone online pointed out that the chicken got hit by a car, died, and were now on the "other side" but it's debatable really.

I'm very sorry if people are running out to check for arrows on fuel gauges - I should have said some cars

Crying at "bishoo wishoo"

My 13 Yr old saw a van when we were away that said 'new forrest fencing.
He said omg I bet they're busy because each time they fence the forrest off the horses prob tread it down or ruin it

Going to out another friend who was adamant it was Pre-Madonna and not primadonna. Took a lot of convincing on my part.

I once had someone on a forum years back try to insult me by calling me a ‘pre-Madonna’. I asked if she was comparing me to Debbie Harry, or perhaps an early years Cyndi Lauper

I don't know what a flaming yon is? What is it?

@RubyWho and @Merryoldgoat

I thought they were called the dark ages because of all the awful fighting

@sadiecontrary I work in the food industry and the pepper thing is news to me!

I knew it was primadonna but I have never known what it means

@ShirleyPhallus is that true about the running!!

Wait...you don’t cook your head to death?!