Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 ··· 8 9 10 ··· 22 23

Original poster

What's the funniest misunderstanding you've had?

573 replies

CuriousLadyBird · 05/07/2023 23:42

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

OP posts:

Babyroobs · 06/07/2023 18:00

Babyroobs · 06/07/2023 17:58

Kind of a misunderstanding but more misheard. DH and myself were on our evening walk and I was telling him about a mumsnet thread where a poster was complaining she had very large labia and it caused chaffing. DH misheard and thought I said she had very large labia that got caught in the chain. He looked absolutely aghast and we could barely stagger home for laughing when he realized his mistake !

Sorry meant to say when she was riding a bike !

Aquartz · 06/07/2023 18:00

Not me but one of my old work friends.

We were meeting some clients in the foyer, one of them had a very unusual name and pronunciation so my friend had been practising saying it a few times, like you do.

We walk to the foyer to greet them, friend shook the hand of the client with the unusual name and cheerily introduced herself first, but for some reason, she introduced herself as his name.
There was a brief silence, then my friend put her hand to her mouth as of to say ‘why did I just say that’
he just laughed and said “You’re me?! God I hope there’s not two of me”

My friends face was a picture, we couldn’t stop laughing. After the meeting, the client waved at my friend and said nice to meet you xxxxxxx ( saying his own name)

It still makes me laugh now, years later.

N0ëlle · 06/07/2023 18:05

@HowNice23 that was hilarious 😂

UsernameNotAvailableArghh · 06/07/2023 18:05

honeylulu · 06/07/2023 13:09

Another sillier one. I asked my husband to get me some cheapo shower gel when he went to the supermarket. He came back and said "I couldn't find the brand you wanted so I got Imperial Leather". Turns out he looked all over for "Chipo" brand shower gel!

I would have looked for a brand - did you mean cheapo?

formulaonecar · 06/07/2023 18:06

I was interviewing someone and I asked how would your friends describe you? to get an idea of his perception of his personality and he said hmm, dark hair, 5'10"? LOL

Minniliscious · 06/07/2023 18:08

A few years back I’d ordered 2 mattresses to be delivered. Delivery guy turns up with 1 mattress and explained that he’d deliver the other one the next day.

He was so gorgeous. His name was Danny (I saw the “Danny will deliver your parcel” on the confirmation) so I was eagerly looking out for him the next day.

I even practiced opening the door and saying “oh it’s deja vu!” about a hundred times 🤣

Anyway, he pulls up and walks up the path so I answer the door and shout “OH IT’S DANNY DOO” 🤦🏻‍♀️ utter cringe. I went bright red and couldn’t take the parcel from him quick enough.

ToWhitToWhoo · 06/07/2023 18:08

Me: X is taking (degree course) at LSE.

Other person: Why is he taking LSD?!?!

Playing Scrabble with a friend aged about 16:

Friend: Oh, of course, your board's solid.

Me (indignantly); I am NOT bored solid!!!

LunaMay · 06/07/2023 18:15

Helenloveslee4eva · 06/07/2023 13:27

Commiserating with a lady with a broken ankle

me -how did you do it ?
She …… slipped and fell in Iceland

me - that’s awful. I’ve always wanted to go. Hope it didn’t ruin The whole holiday ……

she ….. umm Iceland un the town centre

penny dropped very slowly 🤣

Ha, we have a town here called Broken Hill.

As a teen i noticed one of our friends had been missing for a few days and when i asked about it someone said she had 'broken her heel'. I carried on talking about how i hoped it wasnt too bad, how was she gonna manage the steps at school etc.

They dragged it on for over a week until they couldnt take it any longer and told me she was actually visiting family in Broken Hill...

loverofbono · 06/07/2023 18:18

My FIL was very sadly terminally ill and being looked after from home. He died around 11pm and the undertakers came and took him away and sorted him out etc and back to the house in a coffin for the Irish wake before morning. Their next door neighbour came home from a night shift and noticed a lot of cars so popped his head in, whatever conversation happened I don't know but he was told FIL was upstairs and to go up and see him if he wanted.. poor man had no idea he had died and thought he was going up for a chat! He came downstairs as white as a ghost!

Original poster

CuriousLadyBird · 06/07/2023 18:20

These are hilarious 😂

I did think of something I did actually (PP reminded me) just so I'm not calling this poor person out haha.

I was in Tesco looking at Ben and Jerries ice cream and this lady was like they're so expensive aren't they and I was like gosh yeah and she said they're cheaper in ice land and I said oh wow really, be a bit expensive to travel there just for ice cream but she also meant the shop

OP posts:

CloseEncountersOfTheTurdKind · 06/07/2023 18:39

I was in public toilets with DD6. She went to open the pedal bin with her hand to throw away a paper towel. I said 'no, use your foot', so she lifted up her foot and tried to use it to lift up the lid

MRSDoos · 06/07/2023 18:39

HowNice23 · 06/07/2023 15:31

This might out me as I've told the tale a hundred times - I was going down for surgery years ago but hadn't any knickers to put on under the gown and the nurse said she'd find me something. Time came, no sign of pants so porters came up/got gowned and hat on and down I went. Came round groggily and pulled off the hat. Which was actually a pair of paper knickers. I'd spent the operation wearing paper knickers on my head. WHAT MUST THEY HAVE THOUGHT?!

I actually cried a bit reading this! Brilliant

EarringsandLipstick · 06/07/2023 19:03

Bubbleses · 06/07/2023 17:26

Not me but my brother - he did a French exchange when he was in sixth form and when he went over to stay with the French family he told them he had brought them some English preservatives as a gift (ie a selection of local jams/ marmalades). What he didn’t realise is that “preservatif” is condom in French and he had assumed that the word “preservatives” was the same in French as it sounded like a French word… the host family apparently looked at him in disbelief when they thought he had gifted them some English condoms!

These just get funnier! 😂

Vinvertebrate · 06/07/2023 19:07

I’ve just thought of another one. As a trainee lawyer I rocked up to a hearing, absolutely shitting bricks because I had only got the instructions that morning. (It was an “agency” hearing whereby a non-local bank or creditor would use the cheapest possible legal representation).

I now know (but didn’t at the time) that judges can only “hear” suitably qualified advocates. A district judge would “hear” a trainee but not a high court judge, who could only “hear” barristers or solicitor advocates.

I rock up in court, slightly bemused by the number of wigs and gowns on everybody else, and start my pre-prepared plea on behalf of the bank. As I’m directing the judge to the bundle, he pipes up “can I hear you, Ms Vinvertebrate?”

I assume he’s deaf so speak a bit louder. “Ms Vinvertebrate, can I hear you?” I’m like fucks sake man, put your hearing aid in, so I start shouting across open court to turn to page 1 of bundle A. “But can I hear you Ms Vinvertebrate?”

The opposing barrister had a quiet word and I nearly passed out from the embarrassment. It passed into trainee folklore and my firm got someone sensible to check all the agency instructions after that. Luckily and unsurprisingly I am not a litigator!

EarringsandLipstick · 06/07/2023 19:08

FarmGirl78 · 06/07/2023 16:48

Years ago at school one of our teachers would regularly send a very ditzy girl for things such as 'a long stang' from the woodwork department etc. This went on for weeks and she was so enthusiastic and so happy to picked for tasks and being the centre of attention she didn't mind being made fun of. He once sent her off for stripey chalks and she was gone AGES. She returned hours later absolutely exhausted, and out of breath, burst into the classroom and gasped "I've tried my best, I can get you a tracksuit for the morning". He didn't have a clue what she was on about and the whole class fell about laughing. She was absolutely out of breath but eventually managed to explain she thought he'd said 'Stripey shorts'. She had asked at the school office and gone through the lost property box, asked at the PE department and gone through the all the teams' kit boxes, and finally spent a good hour chasing the games teacher up and down the rugby pitch while he was trying to referee a match and was determined not to let her distract him. The games teacher assumed that the stripey shorts were needed for a drama performance (as it was the English teacher who'd sent her) and said he didn't have any, but he had a striped tracksuit he could bring in the next day if needed. 🤣🤣

That's not funny 😔 it's horrible (80s or not)

BigLicks · 06/07/2023 19:09

HowNice23 · 06/07/2023 15:31

🤣🤣🤣🤣

EarringsandLipstick · 06/07/2023 19:11

User1903 · 06/07/2023 16:26

A couple of months after giving birth my SIL approached me for some advice saying she had been a bit dry and it was affecting her relationship and sex life with my brother and had I been through the same. Feeling a bit awkward I just said I hadn’t had any issues and couldn’t advise really.

A few weeks later I seen an ad for some lubricant aimed for woman mainly going through menopause but I instantly thought of her - took a quick snap of the name and sent it to her saying that this might help. She replied thanks but she’s not sure she needs it and seemed quite confused. I reminded her of the conversation we had had and she replied that she had meant she felt quite numb and dry with her emotions and her vagina was fine. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry 😂

HAHAHAHA

These just get funnier and funnier!

SkyeJ90 · 06/07/2023 19:12

We use to live on the same road as a shop when we were younger and regularly went for our parents. On one occasion my mum said she needed a bag of crisps and tampax…I thought she wanted one bag of crisps then another ten packs, she was very confused when I got home with 11 individual bags of crisps. I just assumed she was having an office party with lots of crisps 😂

EarringsandLipstick · 06/07/2023 19:19

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 06/07/2023 14:54

This was very many years ago (1980s). My father worked in the insurance industry. One day he came home and my mother said to him “John called. He is wondering what to do after A levels and he was wondering if you could have a chat with him about your job.” John (not real name but it was a similarly common name) was the son of a friend of my parents. John was also the name of the son (same age) of their next door neighbour.

DF was a man of few words and just got up and went next door while DM was cooking dinner. He rang the bell and when John next door answered (his parents were out and he was at home studying) DF told him he had come to have a chat with him about the insurance industry. John proceeded to listen to my DF tell him all about insurance and his job and how he got to be doing what he was doing. My DF is really a very unassuming man, so this would have been a very low key conversation, not at all bossy or lecturing in tone (which is maybe why John put up with it), but it still makes us laugh out loud to consider what John must have been thinking. DF was gone nearly an hour. John made him a cup of tea and was very polite. DF says he seemed quite interested!

My DF came home (still none the wiser) and only then found out he had got the wrong John; when he told DM where he had been.

DF went back next door the next day and explained to John’s parents. The neighbours laughed about it, but the funniest thing is that John had not even mentioned it to them. Neighbour John went to study chemistry. Other John went into the police.

I love this! Both John & your DF sound delightful!

EarringsandLipstick · 06/07/2023 19:21

Thank you MNers for such brilliant stories, I've had a long & difficult day & I'm laughing so much at all of these.

sammyjoanne · 06/07/2023 19:23

We was at work today in the office and Gold fm was on and we was chatting about music in the old days and that how some stars that are old now cant sing now, and there are some that still can. We gets to the discussion of Rod Stewart and my colleague said, ' you know, I love a bit of Rod'. I almost spits out my tea for laughing, and there was lots of sniggers from everyone else

BlowMyBubbles · 06/07/2023 19:25

I had a bad tear (3c) with dc1, so for dc2 the midwives were trying to coach me through pushing so not to tear as badly again.

At one point they instructed me to stop pushing and to pant. So I did. On all fours, I stuck my tongue out and panted like a dog on a hot summers day. I can still see the midwifes face, a mix of confusion, laughter and wtf.

Maggiesgirl · 06/07/2023 19:29

@pollykitty there was a thread on here years ago, where a woman had gone to Norway ( think she was Norwegian and DH was English) on holiday.

She was talking about midges being awful on their hike.

Autocorrect kept bringing up midges as midget throughout her post.

The thread took off with all sorts of ideas about midgets. Went on forever 😃

heartsinvisiblefury · 06/07/2023 19:29

SmileyClare · 06/07/2023 13:34

My hairdresser always cut my fringe too short so I was determined to be very clear that I didn’t want the front cut this time as I could trim it myself at home.

I sat in the chair and blurted out “please don’t cunt the front this time”.

Hairdresser looked baffled as I tried to laugh it off and explain.
She still cut the fringe too short and I was too embarrassed to say anything by then 😩

Howling 😂😂😂

loveliesbleeding1 · 06/07/2023 19:32

My friend was telling a group of us having coffee that her Husband has had to give up one of his medications because it was making him limp,I said " how on earth is his medication affecting his walk?" She actually meant another part of his anatomy was going limp.i could have died!

Flip

1 2 ··· 8 9 10 ··· 22 23

Swipe left for the next trending thread