What are your adult "blind spots"

Conscript

Conscript

Conscript

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2004
Posts
10,923
Location
Kent
Spurred by a discussion in my office and by recently watching the episode of the IT Crowd where Jen thinks the phrase is "to be put on a pedal stool", what are those things that, despite being common knowledge for others, eluded you until well past when you should know better? Those little gaps in your knowledge, that when you've expressed them out loud everyone looks at you askance, thinking "How can he possibly not know that?"

I'll start: I didn't know how to pronounce "hyperbole" until I was about 21 and heard another student use the word in a discussion seminar. I knew vaguely what the word meant and had seen it written down, but whenever I'd read it, I'd said it in my mind as "hyper bowl". When I heard it said, I couldn't believe that I was a fully grown adult and still didn't realise how to pronounce a relatively common word in the English language.

Of course, my embarrassment was private (until now), but has anyone else ever had to admit to having a blind spot in their adult experience?
 
Conscript said:
I'll start: I didn't know how to pronounce "hyperbole" until I was about 21 and heard another student use the word in a discussion seminar. I knew vaguely what the word meant and had seen it written down, but whenever I'd read it, I'd said it in my mind as "hyper bowl". When I heard it said, I couldn't believe that I was a fully grown adult and still didn't realise how to pronounce a relatively common word in the English language.
Click to expand...

No idea what you're talking about; hyper bowl, hyperbole, who cares. Are they not pronounced the same way.
I have no idea what they mean either.....and i'm 42.

As for me there's quite a lot of instance like this i think; mainly songs, where i've always thought the lyrics were such and such, then recently i find out they are different and i've been singing em wrong all these years.
 
A friend thought the phrase was "the best thing since life has spread" rather than 'sliced bread'. For thirty years. He's nice so can be forgiven.
 
"Rhetoric" for me. I always say it as rhe-TO-ric (as you'd say rhetorical), rather than RHE-to-ric. I know it's wrong and it still hops out my mouth.
 
I've got a friend who says "cuttlery" (like "cuttlefish") rather than "cutlery"...

Argh, and "brought' rather than "bought" is a sure-fire way to make me despise you!
 
Last edited:
Annoys me when a friend says "I can't be asked".

I didn't realise hyperbole was pronounced that way either! :eek:
 
My girlfriend is a champ when it comes to these!

She used to go "trickle treating" at Halloween
She carries a "ham bag"
She stores her clothes in a "chester drawers"

The crazy thing is she is very intelligent, loads of A's and A*'s at GCSE level, really good A levels and has just sat the last bunch of her ACCA accountancy exams so should be a chartered accountant in February! (She's passed all her accountancy exams first time with decent grades as well)
 
Moses said:
It's funny to intentionally mispronounce stuff, as an inside joke. Eg, hyperbole as you say, then canapes (ka-napes), etc... I do it with my brother all the time... we derive inordinate levels of joy from it :\.

.
Click to expand...

I sometimes say you must think I'm a right Palestine (rather than philistine). I always enjoy that.
 
I didn't know trousers had different leg lengths as well as waist sizes until uni. My trousers used to be very, very long.

The gf thinks minefield = mindfield.
 
Albeit. Thought it was three seperate words when I heard it, untill I saw a band with that name at uni. When written, I'd always thought it was pronounced albight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom