Realising Obvious Things (that Blow Your Mind)

[dl8860]

Is that a joke? I doubt the average man on the street even knows what you would be talking about if you said that.

Was poking fun at how the title of the thread is asking for obvious things that occurred to you late, and the first response was obscure as hell.

 

[deuse]

From another thread, I just had my mind blown as it dawned on me the meal of the day, breakfast, comes from the idea of a ‘break in your fast’.



How I have made it to adult life without realising this, I do not know. Derp!

Anyone else have any dopey realisations to share? I have two other recent realisations:

Pancakes are cakes made in a pan.

The “Bear Necessities” (the famous song from the Jungle Book) is a play on words.

Breakfast was used in the 1400s for someone who didn't eat during the night.
Before that it was called morgenmete= morning meal.

 

[Stumble Bum]

The word Alphabet comes from the two first letters in greek.

Alpha
Beta ------> Alphabet

 

[builder22]

Only very recently realised a windscreen/windshield is named so because it’s an actual screen/shield from the wind! Not just some name that sounds a bit like window!

 

[BUDFORCE]

I’ll bite.

the warm air you have just let in cools, shrinks and pulls a vacuum.

Absolutely.

I never really thought about it much, until I thought about it, if thats makes sense.

I mean the science behind it isn't particularly difficult, but I wonder how many people go through life just thinking this is a thing, without really understanding why.

 

[hood1971]

The calendar year used to start in March rather than January. This is why Septem which means 7, Octo which means 8, Novem means 9 and Decem which means 10 are 2 months out.

 

[alex24]

I remembered one. Maybe it's not obvious but it kind of seemed it once I learnt it.

If you're wondering what side of the car the petrol tank is filled from, take a look at the fuel pump icon on your dashboard. It should have an arrow that points to the side where you can fill from to save you from stretching the (sometimes too short) hose over your car.

 

[Lysander]

Walnut whips do not have walnuts in them. I assumed they did but it seems they only have one walnut perched on top.

It's half a walnut.

 

[adolf hamster]

I remembered one. Maybe it's not obvious but it kind of seemed it once I learnt it.

If you're wondering what side of the car the petrol tank is filled from, take a look at the fuel pump icon on your dashboard. It should have an arrow that points to the side where you can fill from to save you from stretching the (sometimes too short) hose over your car.

also, as more an observation than any statement of fact (there's always an exception), on single exhaust cars it seems to always be the opposite side to the exhaust.

which in fairness does make sense to keep the hot thing away from the burney thing (apologies for the technical jargon)

 

[DoneADougalOnSofa]

I was older than I should have been when I realised that a 'police escort' was nothing to do with the model of car...

 

[Chojin]

The label on the inside of your t-shirt/jumper is 99% of the time on the left side. Took me until well into adulthood to realise this.

 

[R.P.L]

I was older than I should have been when I realised that a 'police escort' was nothing to do with the model of car...

I vaguely remember realising this, but I think it was when I was about 6

 

[bobbyspangles]

Prawn crackers contain prawn. As much as 40%. Hence the name I suppose

 

[potatolord]

An owl going twit-toowhoo is actually two owls- call and response.

 

[DXP55]

I always thought the Fairy liquid advert was "Now hands that Du-dish-us" Could never understand it.

Also Morris Commercial - I always said Morris Com-mer-ical. My Dad put me right - I was about 10 but have never forgotten it.

 

[DanTheMan]

The calendar year used to start in March rather than January. This is why Septem which means 7, Octo which means 8, Novem means 9 and Decem which means 10 are 2 months out.

I always thought that it has always started in January but Julius Cesar added July and August (July - Julius, August - Augustus) which threw the other ones out by 2 months. Googling this tells me.i was very wrong!

Also, the alphabet fact is not something I knew either.

One that blew my mind is that the 'seeds' that you see in the outside of a strawberry are actually its ovaries.

 

[Caracus2k]

In orbit around the earth (or any other celestial body) you experience a very large percentage of the gravity you would be subject to at sea level/ the surface of the body. You just feel weightless as you are constantly falling towards the earth/ body.

Its for this reason that rockets have to go 'sidewards' after they have propelled themselves directly away from the earth in their earlier stages.

 

[dlockers]

Absolutely.

I never really thought about it much, until I thought about it, if thats makes sense.

I mean the science behind it isn't particularly difficult, but I wonder how many people go through life just thinking this is a thing, without really understanding why.

If only people* applied such critical thinking to other threads in GD

typo - apologies, wasn't meant to say "you"!

 

[Lysander]

One that blew my mind is that the 'seeds' that you see in the outside of a strawberry are actually its ovaries.

Well, that's what a fruit is, it's the fertilised ovary of a plant.

 

[mrgubby]

Not so much "mind blown" as "mind broke"...

My wife's face when I pointed out the black you see on the cinema screen is actually white.