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We all fail to communicate things to each other on a daily basis. And you may think it comes down to cultural or personality differences, but it doesn't. Family members, couples, school friends, and colleagues fail to communicate their intentions as if they met yesterday.
So when you tell your sibling it’s OK to eat half of your grapes, don’t be surprised to find their other halves chilling in the fridge. Sometimes it’s intentional and results in "malicious compliance," other times it’s purely accidental.
Bored Panda has put up a compilation of the most absurd and hilarious incidents of people taking stuff too literally. Maybe those who gave these instructions will watch their words next time—better clear than sorry!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Is Why My Kid Is Going Places
RELATED:
#2
Asked My Daughter To Lean Against The Pole For A Picture
#3
Best One Today
It’s no secret that some people communicate their thoughts and motives way better than others. But much of the miscommunication happens due to inability to express what we really want to say. So how do we make others understand us better? Well, there are some things we could work on.
First of all, think first and only then speak. According to Psych Central, before starting a conversation, you should ask yourself what its purpose is and make it clear to yourself. Only when you know what you want to say will the other person be able to get you.
#4
I Asked My Wife To Send Me Some Underwear Pictures, This Is What I Got In Return
#5
A Friend’s Daughter-In-Law Was Told To “Cover Up” While Feeding Her Baby, So She Did
Well, I Tried 5 years ago
Why was she asked to cover up? Stupid people. If you can't handle breast feeding, than just don't look
#6
Some People Just Want To Watch The World Burn
Another practical tip is to say less and mean more. Too many phrases, descriptive words, jargon, and clichés tend to take you further away from the point you’re communicating. Psych Central suggests that you “use active verbs and keep sentences short” to get “others to listen to you and actually absorb what you’re saying.”
No good communication has ever happened without listening. If you want to develop better understanding of others, you must be an active listener who focuses on the information you’re being told. Empathetic listening is also key in building closer relationships, making friends, and forming long-lasting connections.
#7
Name This Plant
#8
Oh Susan
#9
Told My 3 And 4-Year-Olds To Put The Toilet Paper Under The Sink. Must Be More Specific Next Time
#10
My History Prof Wanted Us To Write A Paragraph From Any Historical Figure’s Point Of View And Urged Us To Be As “Realistic As Possible”
#11
Asked For "Nothing" As Dessert On A Disney Cruise. Got This Masterpiece
#12
After A Huge Meal (Schweinshaxe) In Berlin I Asked For Just A Small Beer. This Is What The Waiter Brought Me
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
I like the fact that they already had the small beer mug—-talk about being prepared!
#13
This Person, Who Took His Girlfriend To All The World-Class Cities Of Ohio
#14
I Asked My Wife To Pick Up Some Frozen Fruit At The Grocery Store
#15
This Girl Waiting Here
#16
Anarchist Here. My Uncle And I Are Cut From Different Cloth
#17
My Wife's Grandma Likes To Buy Us Snacks Whenever She Goes To The Store, So We Asked Her For Some Sour Cream And Onion Chips. We Were Amused By What She Came Back With
#18
Don't Hesitate When Telling David Your Name
#19
Went Through The Taco Bell Drive-Thru With A Friend. When Asked If We Wanted Sauce, I Said: "As Much As You're Allowed To Give Me". I May Have Made A Mistake
#20
My Wife, A Venezuelan Smart-Mouth
Heaven Lee 5 years ago
Who cares? I think most people including English speakers would understand that jajaja is the same as hahaha.
#21
Not What I Meant, But Ok
#22
Probably
Evelína Zlá 5 years ago
Am I the only one excited that her name is actually Sand(i)man(n)? Big Neil Gaiman fan here :)
#23
Picture On The Credit Card
#24
I'm Done
Rose the Cook 5 years ago
This reminds me of when a teacher told a migrant child who spoke little English to, "do a hundred lines", as punishment for some petty offence. The girl delivered a sheet of art paper with 100 straight lines ruled on it.
#25
Spoons
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I have seen a few products where the designer/agency etc has written the description. Do they not have common sense?
#26
When You Ask For A Golden Retriever For Your Birthday And Your Boyfriend Gets You This
#27
I Asked My Brother To Take A Picture Of Me In Spain And This Was The Actual Picture He Thought Was Fine (P.S. I’m Not Wearing A Hat)
#28
These Guys Always Have The Best Signs
#29
Boss Said I Wasn’t Using Enough Wet Floor Signs While Mopping
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago (edited)
You should put out a sign to warn people not to trip over the signs. Safety first ^-^
#30
My Husband Asked Hardees To Put Extra Frosting On His Cinnamon Biscuit
#31
I Think My Barista Is Trolling Me
#32
And You Even Can't Be Mad At Him
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
This is definitely something my brother would do, simply just to annoy me.
#33
My Friends' Kid Asked For A 3DS For His Birthday
#34
I Told My Students To "Include The Word Count In Your Essays"
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I would hate to be the teacher reading this, would do my head in.
#35
Asked My Husband To Put The Pillowcases On The Pillows
#36
Was Worried About Privacy, So I Asked If They Could Put A Door Up To The Men's Change Room. Problem Solved
Amanda Sherland 5 years ago
Whoever numbered those lockers in the back like that.... sociopath.
#37
Coffee Shop Compliance
Camilla Gonzales 5 years ago (edited)
you did it all wrong you drew ON a sign you didn't make one yourself SMH edit: this is a joke, don't take this seriously lmao
#38
Asked For A Small Frosty But In A Medium Cup "I Wasn't Sure, But Hope This Is What You Were Asking For"
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
Why get a frosty in a medium cup if your ordering a small in the first place?
#39
Taking Advantage Of A Poorly Worded Question On A Music History Test
#40
My Cousin's Friend Ordered A Chicken Burger And Asked For Mayo On The Top And Bottom, This Is What She Got
#41
So I Asked My 3-Year-Old Daughter To Replace The Toilet Paper Roll. Job Well Done
#42
This Must Technically Count. My Aunt Just Took A Screenshot
#43
My Cousin Was Asked To Bring A Potato Dish To The Family Party
#44
While Teaching Her To Bake, I Asked My Daughter To Weigh The Ingredients
#45
Refilled The Paper Tray
#46
My Note On The Cheese Fries Said: Extra Cheese On The Side
#47
I Asked My Husband To Make Sure The Kitchen Counter Was Clean
#48
I Asked The Lady To Cut My Sandwich Into Three Pieces
#49
Asked My Insurance To Send Me A List Of Approved Psychologists, Ones Primarily Within A 20 Mile Radius Of My Location. This Is What I Got In The Mail Today
#50
We Asked Our Waitress For A Glass Of Ice And Some Guacamole. This Is What We Got
#51
Egg And Cheese Bagel
#52
Ok
#53
Friend's Camera Stopped Working Due To Moisture. I Told Him To Put It In A Sealed Bag With Some Rice. He Asked If This Is What I Meant
#54
I Asked For A High Fade, And To Even Out The Top. This Is What I Got
#55
Wife Asked Me To Put All The Toilet Paper We Bought In The Basket
#56
Boss Wanted To See All The User Permissions
#57
Told The Cake Guy To Put “A Big 50” On The Cake For My Co-Worker's Birthday
#58
Friend Of Mine Had A Kidney Transplant 5 Years Ago And Asked For The Bakery To Write "5 Years" Anywhere On The Cake
#59
Corporate Said We Should Put In A New Fire Alarm, Not Remove Old Ones
#60
When They Said "Chocolate Chip Muffin", I Didn't Take Them Literally... But Should Have
#61
Ordered The Side Salad And Requested Egg And Cheese Only. They Took It Literally
#62
Friend Gets Migraines. Her Meds Come In Blister Packs, And Are Very Hard To Open In Midst Of Migraine. She Asked Pharmacist To Put Pills In Bottle
RaroaRaroa 5 years ago
At least she can unpack them all and put them in the jar when she doesn't have a migraine. Then she's all set.
#63
The Truest Eggroll
#64
Someone Put Expiration Date On The Dessert
#65
I Asked For Peppers On The Side. Literally, I Guess
#66
I Went To McDonald's And Asked For "An Egg McMuffin With Sausage And Cheese Only"
#67
Malicious Compliance At The Gym
#68
I'm Currently A Culinary Student And Last Night I Asked A Lady Friend To Help Me With Dinner. All I Asked Her To Do Was Peel Half The Potatoes In The Bag
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
Don’t know what to believe on this one coz I have seen this picture on facebook claiming it was someones husband who did it.
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What do you think ?
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
A friend of mine was having a get together with some people from her congregation and asked everyone to bring a plate. Now when someone asks that, it means to bring a plate of food to share like a salad, cupcakes etc. Well one person had only been living in Australia for a short amount of time so they didn’t know that’s what it meant. They ended up bringing an empty plate, thinking that my friend didn’t have enough plates so if you wanted to eat you had to bring your own.
Bill 5 years ago
I attended an event where everybody brought the same thing green bean cassarole.
Load More Replies...
Donna Reynolds 5 years ago
Old joke before cell phones. At fancy restaurants you would ask the server, please call me a cab. Their response: you're a cab.
Julie Hanford 5 years ago
my friend's mom told her and her siblings to run around the yard. They got out a yard stick and ran around it.
Lisa Bateman 5 years ago
If I asked Dad to "please put the kettle on", he would balance the kettle on his head!
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
Lol! Mine would say "I would but it's not my dress size"
Load More Replies...
Susan Hart 5 years ago
All the millennials won't know how to spell ... Just consider their names...
Carol Emory 5 years ago (edited)
Went on a double date with a friend of mine. She was with her boyfriend and he brought his best friend. We go to pizza and we're having a hard time eating is because her boyfriend liked anchovies and had them put it on half the pizza. End of the meal, my friend is blabbing on and on about something. While she's talking, her boyfriend gets a box for the rest of the pizza. Me and his friend watch as he slides the pizza into the box and the box tilts dumping the pizza on his lap upside down. His girlfriend is still blabbing when his friend and I start laughing. She says "What?" Looks over at her boyfriends lap and says "Is that the rest of the pizza?" Head hung down, face red with embarrassment.. he just nods.
Geoffrey Holland 5 years ago
That has nothing at all to do with the topic at hand. But thanks for sharing your one party story.
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
A friend of mine was having a get together with some people from her congregation and asked everyone to bring a plate. Now when someone asks that, it means to bring a plate of food to share like a salad, cupcakes etc. Well one person had only been living in Australia for a short amount of time so they didn’t know that’s what it meant. They ended up bringing an empty plate, thinking that my friend didn’t have enough plates so if you wanted to eat you had to bring your own.
Bill 5 years ago
I attended an event where everybody brought the same thing green bean cassarole.
Load More Replies... Donna Reynolds 5 years ago
Old joke before cell phones. At fancy restaurants you would ask the server, please call me a cab. Their response: you're a cab.
Julie Hanford 5 years ago
my friend's mom told her and her siblings to run around the yard. They got out a yard stick and ran around it.
Lisa Bateman 5 years ago
If I asked Dad to "please put the kettle on", he would balance the kettle on his head!
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
Lol! Mine would say "I would but it's not my dress size"
Load More Replies... Susan Hart 5 years ago
All the millennials won't know how to spell ... Just consider their names...
Carol Emory 5 years ago (edited)
Went on a double date with a friend of mine. She was with her boyfriend and he brought his best friend. We go to pizza and we're having a hard time eating is because her boyfriend liked anchovies and had them put it on half the pizza. End of the meal, my friend is blabbing on and on about something. While she's talking, her boyfriend gets a box for the rest of the pizza. Me and his friend watch as he slides the pizza into the box and the box tilts dumping the pizza on his lap upside down. His girlfriend is still blabbing when his friend and I start laughing. She says "What?" Looks over at her boyfriends lap and says "Is that the rest of the pizza?" Head hung down, face red with embarrassment.. he just nods.
Geoffrey Holland 5 years ago
That has nothing at all to do with the topic at hand. But thanks for sharing your one party story.
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