When the penny drops about dumb things that you should have known!

[malificent7]

For ages I thought there was a poster called Tia. I always used to think it was a bit weird that they would sign their name....not very anonymous. Now I realise it means thanks in advance.
I am 45.

For years I thought Gwasanaethau meant Swansea and vaguely wondered why there were signs to it along the entire Welsh M4.

@Verbena17 I just don't think I actually thought about it 🤷‍♀️

My mum did this. My brother teased her for ages, but I didn't know how to pronounce it either!

That’s funny - my dad made us a wooden sledge with metal runners - my God it went faster than anyone else’s.

Mid 40’s former English teacher, only quite recently realised that the phrase “captive audience”, eg in a conference room or in a car, meant captive as in held in one place and not enthralled, as in captivated 😳😬

The accepted term in English did used to be fine toothcomb though. It's fallen out of use these days.

....and the dooby dots on the side of cling film boxes that you poke in to make a life-changing cling film dispenser!

Same here! 😳

53 and you have just educated me.

I was 40 when I learned that the dishwasher doesn't fill up with hot water and suds 😳

I found out yesterday that gherkins are pickled cucumbers ! I'm 49 and was told by my teenagers. Shocked!

When I was a child I thought the Sketchley’s “We drycleanest” had Latin onto dryclean - as in dulce et decorum est.

Can you please give the source for that???

Was way too old when I realised that crimes against minors was so heinous because they were children and not, as I thought, large burly gentlemen who worked underground in coal mines.....

WHAT???? I did not know this!!!!

Ray Bans not developed by a chap called Ray - they ban rays 😎

@RadFs

I was in my early 20s when my friend said to me she always shops in the petite range. I asked her how ? as we are similar sizes and I don't fit petite!!? She then explained petite range is for short people. I always thought it was for people below a size 4/6 😂.

What? Where do they grow?? I’m 56 😂

@Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong

Thank you so much for this, I didn't know that and am so excited to try it out :)

What?! Also ESL teacher, I thought it made perfect sense with the enthralled meaning, pretty astonished at how I didn't know this.

The French pronounce it ‘wiffy’ so you’re not totally wrong.

I had the same misunderstanding about Ausfahrt when driving across Germany.

It also took me a while to realise 'Danke' on the bins meant 'thanks' and not 'bin.'

@vipersnest1

I don't know what envelope necked vests are supposed to do ?

There were some books I read when I was very young. One I remember was called 'Down the Bright Stream'. The author used the pen name 'BB'. When we were driving in the countryside I saw a pretty cottage with 'BB' by the door. I was convinced that was where the author lived. Didn't twig for ages because all the other such places had 'B&B'.

To be fair, most of my life was pre internet
I thought the Elgin marbles were small round things that you could play marbles with