What's the funniest misunderstanding you've had?

[CuriousLadyBird]

Do you have a funny story about a misunderstanding where it be you've misunderstood something or another person has misunderstood you?

I'm just starting this thread because I thought about something that happened last week and giggled to myself.

I'm currently under the community mental health team as my mental health is not where I want it to be but next year I've been accepted on to a mental health nursing course and can start If my mental health is stable enough (just a bit of background).

So I had a home visit off someone from the CMHT and we were chatting and discussing my future etc and they asked what my goal was and I said "I think my long term goal is to be sitting where you are" and I meant like becoming qualified as a mental health nurse and helping people but this person must not have understood what I meant and said "Well you live here so you can sit here anytime you want".

I was a bit like what? But didn't say anything and carried on with the conversation so I don't know, I think maybe this person thinks my long term goal is to sit on the other side of the sofa (and I appreciate people with other mental health conditions may have issues sitting in certain places so maybe that's where we've got mixed up) but thinking back to it has really made me giggle.

Next time they come I might sit on that side of the sofa and they'll think I've reached my long term goal

😂😂😂

@ExitThroughTheGiftShop it's maybe not so bizarre... Dawn O Porter had her beloved cat stuffed after it died, apparently!

@ExitThroughTheGiftShop hahahahaha! Your post must have gotten by everyone because your kitty story is hilarious!!! your poor DH...what a sweetheart he is!

Thank you for reposting...I am the world's worst MN searcher especially with the 'new' format. I can never find anything or anyone.🤔

I read it again@ExitThroughTheGiftShop and it gets funnier every time😂

@ScottBakula Where are you? This thread is right up your alley😂

im stilllaughing at this

Ahahaha! That's where my mind would go too, I'm sure! Poor thing!!

Bill posters should be prosecuted!

I used to think it was "persecuted" not prosecuted. I remember thinking that was a bit harsh

I spent HOURS looking for the Grey Starling pub in Collingwood, Australia.

Turns out it was the Grace Darling.

I was showing my friend a pair of fox-fur stoles I reluctantly inherited from a great -aunt. My friend asked "Have they been died?" and I thought she had suddenly lost her grip on grammar. "You mean, have they died? Yes of course." To which she looked at me equally strangely and said "no, I mean, have they been DYED. As in coloured?"

How we laughed.

When I was about 14 Spandau Ballet were playing in my town. Of course “all my friends” were going and I nagged my parents relentlessly to be allowed to go. My Mum was resolute - absolutely not. I was gutted.

The gig came and went and I felt like the only girl in the school who hadn’t gone. I was full of seething resentment.

A few weeks later I was allowed my weekly TOTP fix. Spandau came on, and my Mum watched them. This was in their very slick suited and booted phase. My Mum suddenly said:

”Now if you wanted to go and see a nice band like that, I would let you go - I might even come with you”.

Through incredulous and gritted teeth I said “That. Is. Spandau. Ballet”

Turns out that she thought I wanted to go and see some avant garde dance troupe likely to be highly unsuitable for a teenager…..

I learned a lot about communication skill from that.

Bless her, I do miss her …..

On the face of it this was funny and I laughed but... really? He unbuttoned his shirt? When someone whose second language is English (as you clarified), repeated "nibbles?" Back at you, confused, you still kept insisting on using the word nibbles rather than snacks or something a bit more international?
Did everyone in the restaurant turn around and clap too?

I had got half way through this thread and glad to find it again. So funny! Think knickers on head and sucking the dentist's finger are my favourites.

He started unbuttoning his shirt, he was at the top button when we realised he was saying nipples not nibbles.

We were in our 20’s, didn’t occur to either of us that nibbles was a British only word. And we also thought he understood us and said nibbles back to us. We did say snacks or something like that once we realised the misunderstanding.

Not a restaurant, a cocktail bar. I don’t think anyone heard our conversation so no mass clapping or outrage, just a funny little moment between us and the cocktail waiter.

Why would I make this up?

I remember meeting someone on holiday once and they said their surname was pool with an e so their surname was poole.

Apparantely a lot of people then used to think the surname was poolwithane.

DH is dreadful for using colloquialisms with non native English speakers. Drives me nuts! Even when they are clearly looking confused. I translate. Had to do it several times at a tapas place last weekend.

So I can completely imagine this happening and being unable to breathe with hysterics 😂😂

Back when I was 18 I worked in a big office just off a motorway junction. I really fancied the payroll guy, we’d never spoken but would give each other little looks when we passed each other. We also lived in the same direction, so we’d both get straight onto the motorway and then off at the next junction. We got into a thing where there was a bit of a competitive who would get to the next junction first going on. Usually it was him.

I noticed in the car park that his car was for sale, with a sign in the window with his number on. I had a genius plan of saving his number, and that day I was the one who got to the motorway junction first. So I pulled over and sent him a very flirty text, with a bit of jeering added in. Not my usual style, I’d never usually be forward or make the first move.

Anyhow, several very awkward hours passed with no response. Eventually, my phone RANG!! It was only sexy payroll guy. I excitedly answered, and then had a very awkward conversation when it transpired I’d actually texted payroll guy’s DAD, who it turned out owned the car. He was more than a bit confused by what I’d sent. Fucking mortifying.

DH is dreadful for using colloquialisms with non native English speakers. Drives me nuts! Even when they are clearly looking confused. I translate. Had to do it several times at a tapas place last weekend.

Some people are just like that, though: they only see language as a binary, i.e. somebody either CAN speak it perfectly or they CAN'T speak it at all. They genuinely don't give any thought to people who can and gladly will speak your language fluently to communicate with you (as you likely don't know a single word of their language), but for whom it might be their second, third or fourth language.

Instead of the horrific stereotypical Brits shouting at foreigners, in a bizarre attempt to 'help them understand', you'd be a lot better thinking twice before using mumbled, complicated, colloquial, unusual or idiomatic words or phrases - and then treating them like they're stupid for not instantly knowing what you mean.

😂😂😂

VeryGoodVeryNice

I thought you were going to say it turned out to be his wife's number!!

@FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper oh god imagine that! That would have been even worse 😫.

Anyway it worked, we got together and were in a relationship for quite a while, his family were all lovely, it was difficult to look his dad in the eye to begin with, and they all enjoyed reminding me of my texting error 🤣

Howling here 😂😂

That's just mean. That's bullying.

Teen DS was learning to cook and I was helping him with a recipe. He asked me if we had any more garlic and I wondered why he wanted more as we had a whole one on the side - he thought ‘2 cloves’ meant 2 bulbs 😆 that would’ve been interesting!!