What stupid things have you believed/said/assumed before finding out to your embarrassment you were wrong?

[CookieRookie]

Could do with a laugh today

Here's mine...

1 - I thought a filet mignon was something presented on fire, you know with brandy or something...a flamin yon

2 - I thought rollmops where called roll 'em ups because they're rolled up but I was kind of right with that one.

Not hilarious, though dh did laugh at me til he was nearly sick, but I'm hoping some of you have much better, more embarrassing ones.

While I don't doubt that your explanation is correct Naoko, all confusion could be avoided if the proper English term were to be used ie "the aggregated score is...." I might take myself off to pedant's corner with this one!

Until the day before yesterday, I thought the Orient Express ended in China.

When I realised that the likelihood of a train running from Paris to Shanghai on a single track was fairly remote I laughed so hard I did a tiny tiny wee. DH very kindly says it's not that unlikely and couldn't understand why I was lying on the floor howling and thumping the carpet

I believed that battery hens were so named, because they were given electric shocks to make them lay eggs. To be fair, this is what my dad told me and I am was very gullible. I was put right when aged about 17 or 18 having an intelligent conversation with work colleagues about animal welfare. Very

Jodie I thought the orient express went through china where does it go then? And why is it called orient?

I remember seeing a demonstration many years ago - when I was about 18 - outside the Sri Lankan embassy, calling for freedom for the Tamils. Back in the Office, I mentioned it and said "What are Tamils? They're little furry animals, aren't they?"

Much hilarity ensued at my expense.

Maybe I was thinking of Lemurs.

Thank fuck I'd never heard of the Tamil Tigers then! Bollocks only knows what my imagination would have done with that one. I'd have probably announced to all and sundry that the Sri Lankan authorities were cruelly cross breeding little furry animals with large striped predators, so no wonder people were protesting. [lucky escape emoticon]

Oh thank God Blondie, not just me!!

It ends in Istanbul apparently! Which is the gateway to the Orient or somesuch?

At least that's what I learned on a recent R4 programme presented by Sandy Toksvig and she would never lie to us, right? Right?!

I'm probably about to out myself to my sister, but hey ho ....

My sister, aged about 4, asked my mum what a 'commonarwee' is. As in "the Wombles of Wimbledon commonarwee"

My confession is 'sumbarine'.

Until a couple of years ago I thought scampi was an actual animal a bit like a prawn.

I also only recently found out that salad nicose is not pronounced ni-co-say.

.... and until about 5 mins ago I thought Arkansaw was an actual place :)

Oh oh and my lovely DH, who os streeeeeeeeeeeeeeemly clever and well read, though there were 'Arcticulated' trucks....that were refrigerated for conveying perishables

These are fabulous!

DH once tried to get me into thinking there used to be coal ran washing machines. I believed him for a few weeks minutes.

not mine, but my sister.
she thought until nearing her twenties that ducks had four legs.
Is Arkinsaw not a real place?

I love this thread!

Until last week I believed unicorns were real animals. I'm 35.

Even worse, when DH enlightened me re these mythical creatures, I didn't believe him and (the shame) felt the need to double check with my work collegues.

It wasn't til after i left high schol i realised ladies didn't wee out of their bottoms

dh also told me in a greek restaraunt one night that marmite was made out of olives. I belived him, but people sat next to us heard dh and went 'really?!' andthen dh had to 'fess up that he was taking the piss..

Another vote here for water polo involving horses.
Also feel I need to mention my understanding that a one-armed bandit is a regular, rather suspicious character that turns up in Westerns.
I happened to mention this to my family when I was about 18, and have not lived it down since...

Arkansas, pronounced Ark-can-saw, is a very real place.

Shit, I totally thought the Orient Express went through China

This will totally out me but it's time for a namechange anyway so here goes ...

When DH and I first met for some reason he told me about a type of Peruvian fighting cuvin which is a water snail which jumps by squirting water from its backside, and has fangs. When I couldn't find it on Google he drew and emailed me a picture. See my profile.

I believed him

I, until very recently, was convinced somehow that bananas were dairy products. I mean, I knew they were a fruit, but it's the texture. The texture!

I thought sanitary towels with loops went round your legs like a pair of pants rather than a belt.

Not as cringeworthy as DH who thought the sticky side of an adhesive one went on your skin ,not on your pants.

And to think, I bred with this man

Slight - that is just hilarious - bananas/cows - eh?! I am hooting!

Errrr what's scampi then?

My friend was planning a gap year - had it all sorted - voluntary work, accommodation, hundreds of emails back and forth with host family etc and asked me if she could use my pc to book flights and asked for my help when she couldn't find the airport she needed. When asked which she replied 'equador, in portugal'.

When I corrected her she just shrugged, booked the correct flights and off she went :D

As an infrequent MNER, you know the type, still does housework, I would always look at the threads by clicking on the "last day" tab, as I thought they would not be there tomorrow.

Slight - someone told me recently they were 'allergic to dairy but could tolerate bananas'

Until I had children (and sang it VERY loudly at a toddler group) I swore blind the last line of Baa Baa Black Sheep was and one for the little boy who lives down the drain