AIBU to be annoyed by people who think literally

[CunningStunt86]

One of my friends does this all the time. She will take everything I say, literally.
For example, we were in my garage (new place, so was showing her around) I explained that it'd be a good space, once I got rid of the cellar spiders that have taken over. She genuinely looked puzzled, and said... "cellar spiders? But this is a garage, shouldn't they be in the cellar?!!"
I was so taken aback, I just laughed it off
but she was being serious 🙈 I mean how do you respond to people like this?!

If the comment had been made by a bloke who then guffawed at his own utter hilariousness I might have been annoyed enough to summon up an eye-roll, but not if it was made by someone who was genuinely puzzled. Some of my children are ND, and when they were younger we had lots of moments of frustration or amusement resulting from them taking something more literally than intended.

I'm autistic and would have taken it at face value.
You could simply be clearer in what you're saying as others have pointed out.
I'm glad DP doesn't react like you, if I misunderstand something he doesn't laugh, just explains.

I call them “garage spiders”

I’ve never been in a cellar.

Yanbu.

My mum does this because she's thick as mince. She can't get her around things being slightly exaggerated or funny or not that-very-context-specific. And she can't be arsed to think logically about things to think "Might that be an absolute thing?"

It makes it very, very hard to have a conversation at all, let alone a joke.

Yep my dd too she received her diagnosis in June.

It's a shame you don't take the word "friend" a bit more literally on how you treat people.

Publishing something like this about someone you know and inviting others to join in with you taking the piss out of them is a really shitty thing to do.

I'm not ND (that I know of) but take things like that literally. It's just how my brain works. I don't mind my friends gently poking fun, but would suggest you find other friends if this trait annoys you.

I once asked my husband to put the washing out.

I came home and he had done what I asked.....in the pouring rain! When I asked why he did that he said because I said to 'put the washing out' lol

It's an actual spider though, the fine ones with long legs and big knees. They leave the very wispy cobwebs. They eat other spiders so good to keep them around if you'd rather the big ones aren't spotted in your house.

OP didn't invent the term cellar spider - I've been using it all my life to refer to a specific type of spider, and I've definitely heard my grandparents say it too!

It explains a lot doesn’t it! We have a wait ahead of us but just the fact she was accepted on to the pathway is a big deal here! She’s textbook ASC in girls.

Sometimes I forget and use a common phrase and she looks at me gone out. 🤣

Ooh she means harvestmen! I don't generally like spiders but I leave those ones alone since, as you say, they eat other spiders and don't really scare me (I do have an irrational phobia, I know).

The same for my oh before he was diagnosed as a child. One that sticks in his mind was constantly struggling at school and being told to ‘pull his socks up’. And getting laughed at when he literally tried to pull his socks higher

They're called leggy spiders here. Not to be confused with leggy flies (crane flies) Both induce the screaming abdabs.

Right?! And then get huffy when you ask for clarification on whatever they were talking about!

Pholcus phalangioides (what you call a cellar spider) have all kinds of nicknames. I would have been confused too and asked to see them, as they don't usually set up home in garages.

YABU and also ableist.

I'm autistic and ADHD and was made fun of when I was younger because I interpreted things literally. But sure, obviously that was fine because it's just SO annoying to non-autistic people who seem to think it's totally normal to speak in riddles and never say what you actually mean.

The phrase "cellar spider" sounds like it might be a variety of spider, I'd probably have asked what it was as I'd not heard of that kind of spider before 🫣

I voted you are being unreasonable as thinking literally is an autistic trait. My son thinks literally and we’ve had some hilarious communication fails.

Yeah me too.

OP think how it feels from the other side. All my life I've been othered because stuff like this singles me out as different. Masking just to hide stuff like this for fear of people thinking as you do is EXAUSTING

This happens to me a lot I'm very random and I think I'm assuming some knowledge about my life. People sometimes take me literally. No it doesn't bother me, it can be funny. It's all good.

Then I just explain further and try to communicate differently with that person. Actually it happens with OH, he's quite literal and we just laugh about it like you actually thought x yeah imagine.

OP didn't make up the name

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/spiders/cellar-spider

You made a shitty joke, no one laughed and now you’re pissed. Get over yourself. Not literally.

I am one of the “people like this”.

I’m autistic.

Absolutely. I can be a bit literal minded.

We call them cellar spiders here too, have no cellar either. They are clearly enjoying climate change, because 10 years ago we didn't see them ? they look like daddy long legs but without the little wings ?