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We all might have more in common than we think, especially when it comes to getting embarrassed over something we thought we knew (but really didn't). Reddit user LightningCole asked the members of the online community to share some of the things that they learned embarrassingly late. With over 18.6k comments in the thread, we can say for sure that it’s one of those universal secrets that nearly everyone can relate to. What’s obvious to you might not be obvious to us!

Remember to upvote your fave answers as you chuckle your way down this list. After you’re done, let us know in the comments what things you learned embarrassingly late in life, dear Pandas! Did you think that chocolate milk comes from brown cows until you were 30? Maybe you thought that the European Council and the Council of the European Union were one and the same at some point in your life? We can’t wait to read what you have to share.

Bored Panda spoke about embarrassing knowledge blind spots and why they're, well, embarrassing with Vanessa Bohns, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Cornell University. Bohns also explained what the healthiest way to react to embarrassment is. Scroll down and have a read.

#1

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That not every woman who's nice to me is interested in me, they're just being friendly. Wished someone made that clearer when I was younger, would've saved me a lot of embarrassment and stupid moments in high school and early college.

Err0rbot , unsplash Report

#2

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late When I was 20, I was presented with a really wonderful promotion. It required me to fly to a nearby state for a week of training. I was super ecstatic about the whole thing... until I remembered a friend of mine complaining about her struggles with getting a passport. So, I promptly declined the promotion. My superiors were really stumped as to why I turned down the promotion.

Me: Unfortunately, I don’t have a passport.

Manager: Boringberry... you’ve never flown before, have you?

Me: No. I have not.

Manager: You don’t need a passport to fly within the country.

And then it hit me- my friend was going to Mexico. I was just going to a neighboring state. Once the realization hit, my superiors all erupted in laughter.

The story itself followed me when I went to training. My trainer personally greeted me and asked me if I had any difficulties getting a passport before laughing.

boringberry , piqsels Report

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

"You just won 1 million dollars." "Bummer,I can't take it, wallet is too small"

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#3

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late When I was little my Dad told me the big cooling towers that are often found beside electricity generating plants were in fact cloud machines and the prime minister of the day had a switch on his desk to turn the big machine on when it got too hot.

This made complete sense to me as they did produce big clouds of white cumulus-like exhaust when operating.

Fast forward to when I was around 11 years ago and the teacher asks if anyone knows why some days are dry and some days it rains, some days have blue sky and some days have clouds.

Of course at the mention of clouds I knew immediately where clouds come from and stuck my hand up to tell everyone about the prime minister and the cloud machines.

Luckily the teacher picked someone else for the answer and I was most confused to hear someone go on about evaporation and rainfall and so on.

Martin_Birch , i_yudai Report

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

So nice! Since this is the era of "choose your own (alternative) facts" anyway, I am now treating this as a fact

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"We spend a lot of time and effort presenting an ideal version of ourselves to other people. When something happens that contrasts with the image we’ve been projecting—when we say or do something that shows we actually aren’t as graceful or as smart as we’d like people to believe—we feel embarrassed," Bohns said.

"Discovering you were wrong about something most everyone else around you has long known to be true is one of those moments. In that moment we learn, 'Wait a minute, maybe I haven’t been presenting the image of being smart or worldly that I thought I was presenting all this time,' which is embarrassing."

#4

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That Hawaii was a country before the U.S. annexed it. Unsurprisingly they do not teach us that in high school history class...

seegruyere , Erik Cooper Report

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

And California was part of MEXICO until the US government bought it from Mexico. Also, "America" is actually 2 continents (north america and south america), not a country. "America" as "Americans" call it, is a PART of the continent "North America", and is actually called "The United STATES of America" ie it's referring to a group of 'states' that united, rather than try to declare themselves as individual countries, when it was being invaded by the British (& other countries).

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#5

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That the world owes you nothing.

You can be a good person and that's fine but it won't lead to you being blessed with nice things; people can use you if you're too nice to them

I grew up thinking that my life was special and that I was destined for greatness but I'm now just another fish in the sea

Norfolkwegian_8991 , Ricardo Moraleida Report

#6

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I have a cousin who quotes Yogi Berra on a fairly regular basis, and it wasn't until last Thanksgiving that I realized he's a real person, and that my cousin hasn't been admiring the words of Yogi Bear all this time.

hellothereitsanna , Baseball Collection Report

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Bohns pointed out to Bored Panda that embarrassment has its positive sides—it’s not all bad like some of us believe.

“One thing that’s interesting about embarrassment is that, for as much as we might experience it as painful in the moment, it’s actually very socially adaptive. Being embarrassed signals to other people that you care about what they think. And that actually draws people in to you,” she said.

“So blushing, burying your head in your hands, laughing, acknowledging how embarrassing something was, are all totally healthy ways to react,” Bohns explained to us that we shouldn’t feel embarrassed about, well, feeling embarrassed.

#7

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Rottweilers are not just fat Dobermans.

JamesandtheGiantAss , John Mitchell Report

#8

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That truffles are a mushroom as well as a chocolate. When people talked about sending pigs in the forest to hunt for truffles I thought they’d buried chocolates in there to teach pigs how to dig food up

I was 21

hitmewithurbethshot , Ann Larie Valentine Report

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

I don't like truffles, but chocolate-hunting with dogs? Sign me up! (Making sure the dogs cannot eat it of course)

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#9

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Riding a bicycle. I learnt it at 18, my parents believed in an astrologer who told them that I would have a terrible accident when I drive or ride. So I had to learn bicycle secretly from a friend.

hoodibaba007 , pxhere Report

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Pamela24
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow. That's actually really impressive; it must be so much more difficult to learn as an adult!

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“The unhealthy way to react is to pretend you’re not embarrassed, that you didn’t make a mistake, or to get angry. Those things undo the positive effect of embarrassment typically has on other people by conveying insincerity and pushing people away rather than drawing them in,” Bohns said.

Knowledge blind spots are something that we’ll always have. To some extent. We’ll never be able to get rid of all of them but we should do our best to improve ourselves constantly.

However, the problem isn’t so easy because you don’t know what you don’t know or what you’re wrong about. It’s not like we spend every single second of every day analyzing every bit of knowledge in our minds. Nobody’s got that kind of time—we’ve got other things to do!

#10

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late It's hard to explain this one and I can't google it to find pictures. Everyone has bought a tube of "cream" at some point (antiseptic / steroid / eczema) for example. On some of these "creams", have you noticed that the lid is circular but in the centre of the lid it has a sharp pointy end? Typically, these tubes of "cream" have a seal and I used to remove the lid and break the seal by finding anything sharp and pointy nearby (pen maybe). It took my 23 years to realise that the pointy end in the centre of the lid has a purpose...

Bored-To-Reddit , Sprogz Report

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#11

Thought an orgasm and an organism were the same thing.

Gave an entire speech to my class at 13 years old, first month at a new school, about how I wanted to be a marine biologist and work with marine orgasms. Everyone was laughing and I didn't know why. The teacher didn't say anything just laughed along as well. A girl I'd just made friends with had to fill me in after class.

Turns out, they are definitely not the same thing.

JKell18 Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was laughed at in class for asking to borrow a rubber (eraser) coz it is another name for a condom.

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#12

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I only recently found out that ponies are not baby horses, but full-sized ponies.

Booknerd13 , fen-tastic Report

Some blind spots are related to a lack of education and worldliness and can be corrected by actively seeking out new information and perspectives, bit by bit. Reading new books, watching films, going to lectures, meeting new people—all of these things slowly fill in any gaps in knowledge that we might have. It’s a long and involved process but it might just be the easy part.

Other blind spots that we have are related to our assumptions and preconceptions about the world which might not always be right. However, we’re so emotionally invested in holding on to these ideas that we don’t want to let go. Because it feels like we’re losing a part of ourselves.

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#13

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I thought the phrase 'mix by hand' meant to literally shove your hands in the batter and mix, not use a spoon or a mixer. I didn't learn the truth until my mother found me wrist-deep in brownie batter.

jvisc930 , Nenad Stojkovic Report

#14

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That Washington D.C wasn't in the state of Washington...

3311gojw , wikimedia Report

#15

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late You know when the doctor hits your knee to check your reflexes? I honestly thought you were supposed to kick your leg up high. Like you felt it and you kick. It wasn’t until I was 23 and moved to another country and had to do a physical that the doctor was like what are you doing?!

rainiejain2 Report

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

That makes me wonder how many doctors you saw who didn't' bother to tell you.

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If we’re truly sincere about wanting to get rid of our blind spots, then we have to put our points of view out there and be prepared to learn that we’re wrong. Over and over again. It’s a painful process (it’s bound to bruise our egos) but it’s the quickest way to learn.

So if you’re prepared to take the temporary hits to your self-esteem, even learning new things embarrassingly late doesn’t have to be embarrassing!

#16

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Not me but my husband.

He didn't know that meat is the animals muscles. He thought every animal had a bodypart named "meat".

He had a bit of an emotional crisis when I told him. He is actually a very intelligent man, but this fact had eluded him as his mother had not wanted to upset him as a child.

Ellatomica , Luis Tamayo Report

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

this is what happens when you prioritise "protecting" you child, rather than 'teaching' them... :o :/

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#17

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That Houston is not the name of the guy astronauts talk to.

walden12 Report

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

Yes it is. He's been working with the space program since 1958. He's now 102 and thinking about retirement.

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#18

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Pickles are pickled cucumbers. Took me over 30 years to figure that one out.

drewkawa , Christine Report

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

What's even more interesting is that Indian pickle is just spiced cooked sour things (like unripe mango and lemon)

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#19

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late When I was in 4th grade i was in love with Chris brown. He was 16. I told my mom when i was 16 we would start dating.... she proceeded to inform me that when I was 16 he would no longer be 16. That’s when I realized everyone was also getting older, not just me

Bigdaddydria1 , chrisbrownofficial Report

#20

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Martha's Vineyard isn't just some land that rich people went to that was owned by Martha Stewart.

ughdrunkatvogue Report

#21

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That K9 stands for "canine"... Like K9 unit in police is dog unit.

Okhy Report

#22

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I thought buffalos were birds, and buffalo wings were from said birds.

AussiePickle27 , pixabay Report

#23

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That limes weren’t un-ripe lemons.

JagerKitteh , publicdomainpictures Report

#24

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Glass objects should not be put on the stove. Guess how I learned that.

yarrowsparrow , Ervins Strauhmanis Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I learnt that the hard way by accident. Glass exploded and ended up with food and glass everywhere. Worst thing was we had friends over for dinner. It was a disaster.

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#25

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Thought guerilla warfare was humans in a war against gorilla's

Tonymush , wikipedia Report

#26

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I thought the 'do not pass' road sign literally meant 'do not die here.' I had to ask my grandpa what would happen if someone got into a car accident and died there.

ashb4cb0c8483 , pxhere Report

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

Hopefully this was before you got your driver's license...😏

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#27

The expression "You can't have your cake and eat it too" I'm like... wat? of course you can eat your cake if you have it wtf are all these people talking about? took me til my 20s to figure out it was actually meaning you cant both have the cake on the counter and have eaten it.

profstarship Report

#28

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Ambulances don’t patrol around like police cars.

21st_centuryfox , pikist Report

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

Dear Bored Panda, would be great, if you could flip your photos before publishing, so that they read correctly. Thanks.

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

I don't know about anywhere other than the USA but here, a lot of times, ambulances have that word on their vehicles backwards so when you look in your rearview mirror, it will read correctly.

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

another thing to learn, ambulance, at least in my country got the world "ambulance" write flipped, so when you have one behind your car you can see in the mirror of your car "ambulance" in correct way, but i think this is not the cause cause also the plates are flipped in this pic

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

Half-Half Hey. In SA Ambulances are often stationed at or near accident hot-spots or intersections that allow them fast access to major routes.

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Steve O'Sullivan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they sort of do that in the UK though. They have places they park up so that they are spread out to get the best coverage whilst on call...so they don't patrol but are assigned areas and just get to a 'best coverage position'...

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

Really? Where I come from they kind of do. They get them gasses up, get something to eat. They drive around so in case they're needed they can get there faster than leaving from the hospital.

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

After some of the comments, I shouldn't be game but living in Australia I had to read several to see what the fuss was all about

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

BUT ambulances do park in strategic areas between runs and during rush hours in urban areas. I lived near a retirement community and though the ambulance company was located nearby. Nope, they were "closer to the action" in the grocery store parking lot than by their offices.

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

Visiting a friend once, we had a night out in the town where they live. There were ambulances stationed in the town centre. They were needed.

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

Where I live they kinda do. They drive around in various areas so if there is a call out, they are closer. The area is pretty spread out

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

They don't patrol but they do move stations to ensure coverage

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#29

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That I do better on my own. Took three divorces before I got a clue.

madtrippinfool , banjo d Report

#30

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Pilot and co-pilot actually has the same hierarchy. I thought that co-pilot is some kind of assistant to the pilot

onikoko , Steve Jurvetson Report

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

This isn't true, the co-pilot IE the first officer answers to the captain who is in charge of the flight and legally responsible for it

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#31

Goats are not male sheep.

I refused to touch goat cheese until I was 14.

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#32

That it's "pay per view" not "paper view".

_yourFBIagent_ Report

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

Unless it is a televised origami contest. Then you could have a pay per view paper view.

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#33

Now I'm someone whos very uptight about sex/nudity around my parents. Imagine Hank Hill hearing his mom talk about sex. He'd say "BWAAAAAHHHH!!!"

It was the late 90s, I was 15, Limp Bizkit was all the rage. To my knowledge my mom had never heard limp bizkit. I didn't understand what the song was about. I wasn't prepared for what followed.

I asked:

"Hey Mom?"

"Yes?"

"What does the word Nookie mean?"

"It means an abundance of mindless repetitive sex."

"Oh."

And I've never felt more cringe then in that moment. That was the day I learned to always use a dictionary first.

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#34

That I was in fact NOT missing a testicle. Thought there was supposed to be 3 until I was like 14 years old.

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#35

I was circumcised. I never knew I was circumcised until I went to the pediatrician and my mom told the pediatrician that I was circumcised.

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#36

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Kanga and Roo from Winnie the Pooh put together makes Kangaroo.

SeethisandSmile Report

#37

That Bill Nye and Bill Nighy are separate people. Junior year of college.

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#38

I learned that the teletubbies are called that way because they have television on their tummies. This was 3 years ago.

I'm 24.

CrazyCactusKitten Report

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

Just because she learned it does not mean she still watches it jerk

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#39

I thought 'prima donna' was 'pre-Madonna' and that it referred to a singer who embodied the era before Madonna.

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Blue of the yams (They/He)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay instead of B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno domini: after death ) we are now going to refer to years as in P.M. (pre-Madonna) and A.M. (after Madonna :( )

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#40

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Draught beer is pronounced draft beer. I thought they were two different things.

ItzGrenier , pikrepo Report

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chi-wei shen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought for a long time it's pronounced the same as drought until I spent time in the US and heard someone say it.

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#42

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I thougt His Name was Samu El Jackson. I am dumb dumb.

ERVZE Report

#43

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That the ribs my siblings and I ate as kids were not from velociraptors. My dad and mom had always called them velociraptor ribs for some reason and I guess we just figured our dad was so big and awesome that it made sense that he would often go out and kill dinosaurs for us to eat. I don't think I found out until I was in junior high that they were just regular ribs.

UltimateItalion , flickr Report

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

.. nobody told you until junior high that dinosaurs are extinct?.... Finding it hard to believe..

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#44

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That several does not in fact mean seven.

oceanmaango , Marc Schadegg Report

#45

I only recently learned that a wolverine is an actual animal.

krystalw4fe00ea7c Report

#46

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That my cat didn't go back to the pet store when it was sick. I had even heard all the jokes about pets "going to the farm." Still didn't strike me till waaay too late.

jordanmc Report

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

Parents wanting to avoid telling kids the truth. But even kids need to learn about death.

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#47

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late Ellen the Generous.

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#48

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late The proper way to say mythology. It was my favorite subject and I talked about it all the time & not one person told me it wasn't MYthology. Found out when my teacher corrected something I read out loud in English class as a senior in HS. I still cringe..

Katnith , flickr Report

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chi-wei shen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whenever I read an English word that's new to me I have to use Google and hope an audio recording of that word is available.

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#49

That the numbers on toasters means minutes instead of how burnt do you want your toast

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#50

Until I was about 30, I thought 'Broadway' was one theater, since they almost always refer to the entire district collectively, rather than the theater itself.

cms479 Report

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

If I ever visit NYC, I will definitely visit Broadway. I love theatre.

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#51

I learned to ride a bicycle at age 12. To make it even more embarrassing: I'm Dutch

languagepotato Report

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#53

Brussels sprouts don't grow directly on the ground like tiny cabbages.

Wurunzimu Report

#54

I thought hooking up meant dating, I was in my 20s when I had already used that term a ton and finally found out what it really meant.

DidloBaggins69 Report

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

Hook up used to mean just going out together. this changed some time in the aughts, I think. It bothers me that it changed because I feel like there are soooo many ways to say you're going to have sex but not that many for just hanging out. Does everything have to be turned into something sexual???

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#55

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That Martin Luther King Jr. was never president. I found out I was wrong when Obama became president.

chillax87 , The U.S. National Archives Report

#56

I didn’t know narwhals were actually real until almost 30.

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#57

I didn’t know that women could get pregnant without experiencing an orgasm... I learned that this year. At age 26. I’m gay and never really considered it. So dumb.

hbic Report

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

No matter one's sexual orientation, sex ed is veeeeery important, not just because of such misconceptions, but because one can get really bad injuries too...

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#58

I thought lions and tigers were the same animal all throughout my teenage years — that lions were the boys, and tigers were the girls.

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#59

When I was younger, I used to think people only lived until age 40, mostly because my parents got more and more anxious the closer they got to it.

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#60

That my mom pronounces bagels as beagles on purpose to mess with me. English is her second language, so I just always assumed that she didn't know the right pronunciation. I was in my late 20's before I realized it. I should've known, it's definitely something she would do.

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#61

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late That you can actually perform maintenance on a lawnmower (i.e. oil changes) and not just buy a new one every few years. I moved a lot growing up and as a result we didn't always hang on to larger appliances so I was like 21 before I learned lawnmowers aren't basically disposable.

ablondedude , incirlik Report

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

Here's another tip: Invest in a riding mower if your lawn is as big as the one in that picture, and also you don't need two people to use a mower.

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#62

Not me, but my mom thought “lol” meant “lots of love” for the longest time.

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#63

That the word "couple" does not mean "a little more than few"

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#64

That West Virginia was a state. I always assumed it worked like "Southern California / Northern California" and "Texas / West Texas"

I was a sophomore in highschool.

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#65

A few years ago in my high school English class, I realized that the word flu was short for influenza.

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#66

How many days are in each month.

In my first grade class I proudly stated that my birthday was July 32nd, the last day of the month.

It's only gone downhill from there.

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#67

The joke “Why is six afraid of seven?” I was always telling it and then one day when I was 22 I said it and it clicked and I died inside, then started busting up.

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

You know that seven ate 9, but do you know why? Because you're supposed to eat three squared meals a day!

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#68

I was 16 when I found out that the rearview mirror in a car wasn't actually called a 'review mirror' because you 'reviewed' what was behind you.

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#69

How to figure out my age. Before I was trying to remember all my birthdays until I was told I could just do the math.

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#70

That Mexico is in north america

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

Geologically, everything north of the location where Panama connects to Columbia is North America, though even that is a over generalization when one starts talking tectonics.

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#71

That Mark Ruffalo isn't actually named Mark Buffalo.

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#72

I didn't know that lambs were baby sheep until I was in my thirties. I was horrified.

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#73

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I thought Gwen Stefani’s name was Gwence Defani until I was like 20.

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

Ha. That's a great Mondegreen. A "mondegreen" is a misheard lyric; the word comes from the misunderstanding of an old ballad that included the lines "They hae slain the Earl O' Moray/And laid him on the green" as "They hae slain the Earl O' Moray/And Lady Mondegreen." https://www.braingle.com/trivia/14008/misheard-lyrics-mondegreens.html I can understand OP mishearing things. I always thought that Michael Jackson's song "Billie Jean', went "Billie Jean is at my door". I didn't realise until years later, that it actually goes "Billie Jean is not my lover".

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#74

30 Casual Things That People Learned Embarrassingly Late I learned how to swallow pills at 26. Always had a problem trying to gulp 'em down and they just kept swimming around in my mouth. Up until then I always had to mush 'em up and just bear with the bitterness whenever I was sick.

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

I don't understand why all pill can't come in smaller form and gel coated. Not everyone can swallow a chalky horse pill. Why not just make them smaller and direct people to take 2?

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#75

That you don't pronounce the "a" in cocoa

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#76

Deja-vu phenomenon is common for all people. Until 19 years old I believed that I am the only one who experiences glimpses of events I have already lived. I realized my mistake when I shared this with my girlfriend and she stared at me, cringey expression on her face, didn't say a word. I was confused so I looked it up the day after and was shocked to see deja-vu is fairly common. I felt embarrassed.

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

I often have dreams and then no the later something I dreamt will happen. Something insignificant like hearing a specific commercial when I walk into a room or something, but it's odd.

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#77

What Ginuwine’s Pony is actually about.

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

yes, it's clearly about a romantic evening shared on the local merry-go-round

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#78

That bambi's mother was killed by the hunter and not just disappeared form his life. I know I heard the shot etc. but as a kid I never put those two things together.

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

This is because all releases after 1968 were edited by Disney so the "kill shot" was not shown.

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#79

That we have to brush our teeth both morning and night. Took me 14 good years before hearing this

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#80

Didnt learn until I was 20.

White meat and dark meat come from the same chicken.

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

Does that mean you’re not going to eat any pork?” “Yes” “Bacon?” “Yes Dad” Ham?” “Dad all those meats come from the same animal” “Right Lisa, some wonderful, magical animal! (Homer Simpson)

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#81

That IHOP is the International House of Pancakes.

I never made the connection that they were the same thing, so until recently I thought the International House of Pancakes was like a hall of fame-type museum restaurant...for pancakes.

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

This is cute! I went to IHOP in Hawaii a few years ago (only discovered it on our last day). I loved it! In my opinion, it's a lot better than the Pancake Parlour we have here in Australia.

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#82

The pronunciation of “pronunciation”. Always used to say “pronounciation” until someone called me out on it.

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#83

That Alaska is not in fact an island

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

No, it's connected to Canada (and in my opinion, should be considered a part of Canada).

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#84

Sweet peppers have three steps: green, yellow and red. Always thought that sweet peppers exist in three different tastes but it is the same species

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

And TIL some people call it sweet peppers. We use capsicum and I've heard people say bell peppers but never sweet peppers

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#85

I thought that Arkansaw and Arkansas were two separate American states. I learned the truth a couple of months ago. I'm 30.

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

i am confUsion why is this one kansas but this one is not arkansas AMERICA EXPLAIN!!!

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#86

Dragons weren’t real, took me 20 years

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#87

I thought New Zealand was in Europe for a very long time. I found it odd that people who lived so far away from Australia had a similar accent.

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#88

That the Easter bunny wasn't real. I was 26.

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#89

I was about 10 when I realized every state doesn't have their own brand of cars. Everyone in my house drove a Chevrolet, so I figured it was the 'state car,' and that maybe Texas had Honda, California had Ford, etc...

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#90

Upside down means the up side is down.

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#91

That thunder is the sound of lightning far away not clouds crashing into one another. Realised this last year, I'm 30.

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

"The sound of lightning"?! I think you may still have a bit more learning to do on this subject.

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#92

My Dad told me that the end of all screwdrivers are magnetic, so you don’t have to hold the screw in place. I could never figure out why the magnets never worked when I tried it. I was in my late twenties before a friend took pity on me.

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

I don't get it?... some screwdrivers have magnetic tips to do exactly this, but absolutely not every screwdriver. What is it I'm not getting here?

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#93

How to pronounce “albeit”. Until I was 20-something embarrassing, I thought it was “al-beet”.

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

I have really bad pronunciation, because I read all these high level books with really weird words in them and I never hear it in conversation so I just pronounce it however. The thing is that I'm very crisp with how I speak, and it's just been like that forever. (I'm only in highschool and when I've talked on the phone with a random person they ask me if I'm a lawyer of something)

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#94

Didn't learn how to tie a tie until I got my first job in tv at age 25.

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

I didn't learn to tie a tie until I started highschool and it was part of our uniform. ie unless it's a necessary part of your life, MOST people don't know how to tie a tie. ie nothing to be embarassed about. As a wedding photographer - I've had to tie MANY ties for the goomsmen - and I only know how because of highschool uniform. Never had to wear a tie otherwise.

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#95

It wasn’t until I was 19 that I learned tortilla chips are made out of tortillas

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#96

How to spell bologna.

I was picked to read a section of my textbook for the my high school senior class and had a shocking wake up call when I pronounced bologna “bo-log-na”

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

I learned to spell it when I was little from the Oscar Mayer commercial... Sing it with me.... My bologna has a first name, it's O S C A R, my bologna has a second name it's M A Y E R, oh I love to eat it every day and if you ask me why I'll say.... cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B O L O G N A.

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#97

I used to pronounce Gucci as gussy as in puss* until later when I one day shouted at my friend in public "hey I love your Gucci bag" and she stared at me as if I did not just say that. So that's when I came to know about it, I was 16 at that time.

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

this is why everyone should listen to rap music. thanks to Migos I now know how to correctly pronounce Versace, over and over and over again

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#98

That there's a difference between an avocado and a squash. Learned that in first year of university.

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#99

Coconuts are fruits and not vegetables

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

Why would anyone think coconuts are vegetables? I can understand the mix up with tomatoes but not coconuts.

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#100

Took me 26 years to realized i was lactose intolerant

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

Okay - this one is so misunderstood. Humans generally speaking weren't designed to drink milk after being weaned. People are, in the main, lactose intolerant - lacking the enzyme that enables them to digest lactose comfortably. Some people tolerate the 'intolerance' better than others. People can also lose the ability to digest lactose at 3 or 53 and anywhere in between. On an evolutionary basis we are starting to see more humans being born that don't lose the ability - because we keep drinking milk and we are adapting.

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#101

Epitome is anot some word I've only seen through text that is pronounced ep-eh-tome that has the same meaning

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