Ridiculous things you've only recently realised you've been wrong about your entire life

[Seasidedolly]

I genuinely thought if you pulled the reverse cord on ceiling fans, it would circulate warm air.

My friend thought the yellow average speed cameras on motorways were there to look for missing children.

I had another recent revelation but I can't remember it now

I thought there was a Radio 4 programme called Cross Incontinence.

peasareevilcreatures, that toaster thing isn't true. It's a myth that's been doing the rounds on FB and similar.

In church when we were young I thought we said "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghostie men"

The thing about the toaster thing is even if it is true what difference does it make? I have no idea how many minutes my bread needs to toast the way I like it (and presumably that varies with the power of the toaster anyway), I have just learnt that setting X on my toaster corresponds to the right level of brownness. I found that by trial and error, not by using a stopwatch.

Boffinmum me too!! It's been a long standing joke in our house.

I feel validated.

I thought Rosetta Stone was a woman who started a business selling language courses.

And I believed my sister when she told me that the reason Chinese people have different shaped eyes to Europeans was to protect them when they were stir frying.

And my chinese Granny agreed with her!!

Chipped until I googled just now I thought the same about Rosetta Stone

I thought puffins were fictitious until I was in my mid-40s. Part of me still doubts their real-ness.

As a teenager I briefly thought that time off in lieu meant time off in Looe (as in the town in Cornwall). This must have come about after we went there on holiday one year.

I didn't know what the Elgin marbles were until I was maybe mid-20s. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who imagined them as little glass balls!

Just remembered: When I started school, we learnt 'Sing Hosannah'. There was a girl in my class called Anna. I thought the hymn was 'Sing as Anna' .

For a long time as a child I wondered why adults talked about Perjo and Renno cars, when I never saw these names written down. And then one day, looking at a Renault advert, the penny dropped.

Jammy you can't be serious about the Opal Fruits? Actually as you are referring to them as Opal Fruits you were possibly only around 6 years old at the time .

I thought for years that 'this day and age' was 'this stein age' bit like Jurassic or some such!

Am shocked that Suriname is in South America and not Africa, I love my geography and have travelled loads so that has truly rattled me...

Up until 18 months ago I was using non stick foil the wrong way around

I didn't know you're supposed to pull the paper folds on McDonald's sauce pots to make them bigger

I thought Quinoa was said "Qwin-o-ah"

I didn't know Kirby grips had a 'right' way around

Most of these things are very recent realisations

Oh god to Good King Wenceslas..... How many people on here are singing that carol and thinking 'all these years'.... last looked out, of course he last looked out!

Big love for this whole thread and all confessors. Absolutely PMSL from the first page....and learned so much so fast!

My mother who is almost 50 learnt last year that one of her favourite things to eat "maple syrup " was not an extract on honey or sugar beet but from maple tree. Which she had never heard off. She could not workout why it was ok for her to eat maple syrup as part off her blood group diet and not honey or sugar beet.

Hassled the bbc has documentaries on puffins.

That county durhum is in Ireland. It isn't.

Borneo isnt where I though it would be.

I've just found out that Sloe Gin is made from something you pick.

I thought Sloe was an ye olde word for 'slow' and it got it's name because it took ages to make. You know, slowly.

Loving the thread but feeling v uncultured as had never heard of the Elgin marbles...

In sixth form I learnt that those spinny black signs with fluorescent writing (usually for MOTs or similar) don't, in fact, make coke and pump it underground into pubs.

God knows why my dad said they did probably to shut 7 year old irritating me up and god knows why I believed him!

Currant bun I haven't seen one of those signs for years!

I still occasionally used to think that the police CID stood for Constables In Disguise. Well, they do have undercover stuff to do, right?

I used to think, when watching TV cop dramas that the officers who turn up to collect evidence dressed in overalls were nicknamed "Socko's" because of the little paper socks they wear over their shoes.

Only relatively recently did I learn that SOCO is an acronym for Scene of Crime Officer.