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No matter how smart we think we are, no matter how many degrees we might have, everyone (everyone!) has at least one embarrassing knowledge blindspot. You might be like Ted Mosby from the hit TV show How I Met Your Mother who pronounces ‘chameleon’ with the ‘ch’ like in ‘chocolate’ and the ‘leon’ part like the name Leon.

Or you might be like comedy writer Ariane Sherine who used to think that pigs would snuff out chocolate truffles from the ground like they do normal truffles. When Ariane shared this fun fact on the internet and added that one of her friends thought that Colonel Sanders’ bow on the KFC logo was a stickman body (we can’t unsee it now, by the way), she sparked an amusing thread about the most embarrassing misunderstandings that people have had. Scroll down, upvote your faves, and share your own embarrassing blindspots in the comments below! I’ll get the ball rolling by saying that I keep forgetting that New Zealand is to the Southeast of Australia—in my mind, it’s always to the Southwest! Whoops! Sorry, Kiwis.

"I share a lot of the knowledge blindspots other people have confessed to. For example, when I was young, I also thought the word ‘misled’ was pronounced ‘mizzled!’ And I’m sure I’m also guilty of hundreds of misunderstandings I can’t remember now," Ariane told Bored Panda. "I think that’s why the thread was so popular—everyone can identify with the idea of an embarrassing misunderstanding! Can’t help you with Colonel Sanders though—I fear that image is seared into your brain forever..." Scroll down for the rest of our interview with Ariane.

More info: ArianeSherine.co.uk | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

"I think some people think they’ll lose face if they admit to not knowing things. But no one can know everything! Having gaps in your knowledge is just a natural part of being human. And sometimes, as the thread proves, those gaps can be amusing!"

Ariane also revealed to Bored Panda what she's been up to during the Covid-19 quarantine. "I’ve been working on a really fun book for ages 8-12 set during the coronavirus lockdown. Unfortunately though, my agent has stopped work during lockdown, so if any children’s fiction publishers would like to read the manuscript, please hit me up! I’ve also been proofreading my next book, called How to Live to 100. It’s a funny health science book which tells you how to live a long and healthy life, and is out on October 1," she said.

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Peachikeen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And that mummys had girl babies and the daddys had boy babies. Childhood is a strange time.

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39-year-old Ariane has many talents besides her talent with the quill: she’s also a comedian, campaigner, and a songwriter. But she’s best known for her writing skills. If you’re a fan of British TV, then you’ve probably enjoyed some of her work without even knowing it. She’s written scripts for BBC shows like My Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, The Story of Tracy Beaker, and Space Pirates, ITV1’s The New Worst Witch, and jokes for Channel 4’s Countdown.

She’s incredibly energetic and also a regular on TV and radio programs like BBC Breakfast, Sunday Morning Live, The One Show, Victoria Derbyshire, iPM, Woman’s Hour, Sunday, and Night Waves.

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Shea Briggette
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3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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Ariane’s a seasoned journalist, too. She has written over 90 columns for The Guardian and The Spectator, a few travel pieces for The Sunday Times, book reviews for The Observer, album reviews for NME, and features for The Independent, Independent on Sunday, and Esquire. That’s the sort of experience that any journalist would be glad to add to their CV.

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So if someone as talented and hard-working as Ariane can talk about her embarrassing misunderstandings openly, there’s no reason for us to hide our own knowledge blindspots. Don’t you think so, dear Pandas?

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Bastette Cat
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

E erroneous thought that! There’s even a band called Youth in Asia.

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Pseudo Puppy
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, if your parents weren't into retro music when you were a kid, and didn't listen to the Beatles... logically speaking, this is actually a very reasonable assumption to have as a kid.

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Viveka Thomas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought it was Guid. Don't ask XD I also thought they were a man. In fact, I thought they were a man until a few seconds ago when I looked it up to see if you guys were actually telling the truth. Oh boy :)

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Whatshername
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! This! Same as Disnep, I mean, please, can't you choose a proper font?

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SoozeeQ
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think they copied their signatures (Enid Blyton's AND Walt Disney's). That's why it looks that way..

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B
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm 50 years old and only last year I found out that one of my favourite childhood authors - Richmal Crompton, who wrote the William books - was a woman. Mind blown.

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SoozeeQ
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What?!?! I used to love reading the "Just William" stories and watched the TV show. I never realised the author was a woman.

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Vanta Black
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Hi, do you have anything by Gnid Blyton?" "No, and we don't have anything by J.R. Hartley, either."

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Gyan Ranjan Pruthal
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This brought back some wonderful memories. I used to lose myself in the various fantasy worlds created by her, when I was little.

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Aamna Shah
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I devoured all her books as a child but knowing about some of her extremely problematic views on race as an adult made me realize that so many artists who filled our childhoods with joy, are not all necessarily decent people.

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Elizabeth Butler
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course you did and I did too when I encountered this here for the first time

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Finch
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My absolute favorite childhood author. Loved 'The Magic Faraway Tree' and 'The Enchanted Wood'.

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Katie Allen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought Roald Dahl was a woman when I was a kid. I don't know why.

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Teresa Taylor
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never heard of the author, but that's the worst looking "E" I've ever seen.

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SoozeeQ
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hi Teresa, Enid Blyton was a British author who wrote The Famous Five series and The Enchanted Wood series and many other children's adventure stories back in the 1930s and 1940s. She is immensely popular and has sold well over 600 million books. Her stories are still widely available today.

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Whatshername
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Please don't take this the wrong way. Things like this honestly always make me wonder if people in the USA (not saying Mr. O'Neill is American) get taught topography of the world in school? Maybe it's just that there's so many Americans and in Europe we hear a lot from you. Maybe that's why things like this get noticed. It is not my inention to be rude, I am honestly wondering. As to me this is unimaginable. We get taught stuff like this when we're about 10-12 years old.

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