So embarrassed I wanted to die.

[Katkins17]

So I bought my shopping in Tesco...as you do....said thank you to the cashier when she gave me the receipt and my brain couldn't decide whether it wanted to say 'you're welcome' or 'no problem' so instead it shouted quite loudly to the cashier and the whole queue behind me ...

'YOU'RE THE PROBLEM'

I just stood there, with us all looking uncomfortable and not knowing what to say .... plus a few sniggers behind.

What is the worse thing you've said without meaning to ?????

The Weston-Super-Mare thread has reminded me of something my DH did when we stopped off there one night on our way home from a week pottering around Devon. We had accidentally booked to arrive on Weston Bike Night (which we'd never heard of) and we were staying in a room above what turned out to be a biker pub, and a bit on the rough side, to put it mildly (no offence to bikers - all the ones I know are brilliant, but this was quite a scary pub). We went up to our room and it was absolutely boiling hot, and stank of the very strong lavender gel on the windowsill. DH opened the sash window, but the mechanism was broken and it wouldn't stay up, so he had the bright idea to prop it open with the air freshener. Unfortunately the air freshener had other ideas - as soon as he put the weight of the window on it, it buckled and threw itself out, landing in a spray of lavender in the midst of the thirty or so big burly bikers who were gathered underneath. DH flung himself to the ground to hide and we basically locked ourselves in the room for the next half-hour or so, helpless with silent, terrified laughter, until they'd all ridden off.

Not me, but someone at my place of work.
I used to work at a small company where everyone knew each other. One of the company directors was not very worldly and had a habit of saying inappropriate things without realising. On this occasion we were having an office meeting and she brought up the subject of staffing levels. She said, ' Take Steve for example'. (Steve, not his real name, was a very camp guy who was not out at work but it was an open secret that he was gay). Steve being rather shy, began to blush as everyone turned to look at him. The dopey woman then continued, ' If Steve was off sick for some time, we would have to backfill him'. Everyone sniggered and then exploded with laughter. Poor Steve had turned puce by now and I am sure he wished the ground would swallow him up. The director decided it was an appropriate time to break for coffee as she had no idea why everyone was bent double with laughter. The more we knew we should not laugh (at her or him) we were helpless to stop ourselves.
To make matters worse, once we had composed ourselves and reconvened, the hapless woman decided to try a different approach. She said that what she meant was that at such difficult times as staff shortages we would need to, ' stick our finger in the dyke'.
The meeting had to be abandoned after that last comment...

This has made me wheeze with laughter (I do have a cough) 😂🤣😂

I bet your daughter absolutely died of embarrassment! 😂

🤣😂

That is really not funny. That is awful IMO.

She definitely knew what she was saying.

Trust me. The woman was dopey. She once drove down the motorway with her boot lid open and obscuring the back window. When we asked her how she could not realise this she admitted she hadn't looked in her rear view mirror throughout the whole journey !

It was awful. 'Steve' was a lovely, sweet guy and well-liked by everybody at the company. I think we were shocked and embarrassed on his behalf and probably laughed out of embarrassment. She had no clue and kept saying she didn't know what was so funny. So clueless. I do wonder how some people get to senior management positions.

@Figsaregood And she was a company director?!

Scary, really.

I think she said something along the lines of "Mum, why did you ask that?" 🤣

Poor Steve. He didn't deserve that at all.

I wouldn't have given that connotation to thw term 'backfill', personally. Perfectly common word to use in terms of staffing.

Ohhh and the time I was the presenter at a family event and introduced the service dog handler who had come with Bowser (not real name) to answer questions and instead of introducing him as "Bowser's handler" for some reason I said "Bowser's meddler" 😶🐕‍🦺

Me neither. I can only guess, given the context of PP's story that there was an immature sexual slant put on the word. Absolutely ridiculous. The boss wasn't saying anything gauche at all. It was a reaction to it by the others in the room which was embarrassing.

That reminds me of the time I attended a talk by someone who had done some biology-related studies both with animals and with human children (all totally ethical!). The person who introduced the speaker said, 'He used to fiddle about with (a small animal species) but now he fiddles about with little kids.' Worst Speaker Introduction Ever!

I'm a nurse. Wrote a letter to a GP following an assessment of a patient, and told them I'd been giving him a rub down.
A RUB down.
Not a run down.

t at such difficult times as staff shortages we would need to, ' stick our finger in the dyke'.
The meeting had to be abandoned after that last comment...

Yes of course it did because employees and professional people are completely incapable of continuing a meeting after minor amusement and a few bad taste giggles.

The temperature was in the high 30s when we were on holiday and I introduced myself to my son’s friend, with the words, “Hello, I’m A’s very hot mum!”

I was middle-aged, overweight and incredibly embarrassed.

I thought it was funny 😁 don't be so uptight

Not uptight. I have laughed until I cried at a lot of these. But that kind of situation is one that thousands of non heteronormative people will have had to endure a thousand times over in their life. Leaving them feeling ‘othered’ and shamed. It’s horrible behaviour for everyone to snigger and laugh. If it were 13 year olds may be excusable but not grown adults.

Hopefully the director didn’t know what they were saying but the giggling on mass at Steve’s expense is just awful.

Anyone with an amount of empathy will read that and feel awful for Steve. Hard to see the funny side if you do.

Homophobia isn't funny or acceptable. Especially not in this day and age.

It does have a whiff of the made up...

That reminds me of something I read on MN some time ago, and have never forgotten - about the father of the bride giving his speech at a wedding.

He was paying tribute to the groom's parents and he referred to his mum as a MILF - a term which he had heard and just believed meant an attractive older lady who takes pride in her appearance, with no idea whatsoever of its more specific meaning!

Oh my god @TheHangingGardensOfBasildon 😂😂😂

The problem isn't the director. It's you, the employees, and your grubby homophobic little minds.