20 Obvious Things That People Felt Silly for Realizing So Late in Life

Nathan Johnson Published 07/31/2023 in Funny

There is a big wide world out there and there is always something new to learn or discover along the way. Sometimes, the simplest things or most common of knowledge aren't known by everyone.

Whether it was something you were taught while growing up that happened to not be quite true (like an old wives tale or common misconception) or just something that a lot of other people know that you don't one thing is for sure, you can learn something new every day.

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1.
Took me a long time to realize pay-per-view was actually words that described it (I'd never seen it written)
2.
A chef is called a chef in a restaurant because restaurants originated in France and ‘chef’ just means boss in French.
3.
"Eeyore" is the noise donkeys make.
4.
Might just be a US thing but whatever, The measuring stick/pole on the inside of gas stations is for identifying the height of potential robbers
5.
I thought a birthday suit was just your favorite outfit. Like, you save this special outfit for an celebratory occasion. Always got weird looks when I told people I was going shopping for my birthday suit. I wish I was joking.
6.
That you have to actually put together a trampoline. I'm 27 and i legitimately always thought they always just folded in half or something until recently someone said "it's so difficult to pull the tarp across." I had to pull my boyfriend aside to ask what the heck they were talking about.
7.
I just finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. At the end of the book, there was a little blurb about the author; Abraham Stoker. Bram is short for Abraham. I didn't know that.
8.
Mount Wannahockaloogie- I am Aussie so hearing it without subtitles as a kid, I just assumed it was another american attempt at an Aussie sounding name. Seeing it written down made me feel like the dumbest thing alive.
9.
That in order to properly use a hand dryer, you have to rub your hands. I used to just put my hands under it and question why it was taking so long, but then I saw one of my friends rubbing their hands, and I felt stupid.
10.
I thought that Viagra just gave you an erection for a few hours straight. I did not realize that you had any control in the matter. I think the part where they say "if the erection lasts for more that four hours..." gave me this misconception. Learned this year that it does not work that way lol. (Female, 27)
11.
That raincoats typically have bright colours so you're easier to spot during heavy rain, not because raincoat designers have bad taste
12.
Ecuador is Spanish for equator and the country is named so because yep....
13.
Vert = green; Mont = Mountain Put them together and you get Vermont (the Green Mountain state)
14.
When my son was young and Abba Take a Chance on Me came on, I sang, "Jackie Chan Jackie Chan...". My son sang it too. As an adult, he called me horrified. "MOM. YOU LIED TO ME ALL MY LIFE. I was driving and the Jackie Chan song came on. I turned it up and rolled down the windows and started to chant the song and realized THEY WERE NOT SINGING JACKIE CHAN. MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD WAS A LIE!" I haven't laughed so hard in years. He still hasn't forgiven me.
15.
That the Guinness beer company is responsible for the Guinness book of world records
16.
The houses in Bikini Bottom are car mufflers
17.
When people said, "it's a double-edged sword," I thought the sword's hilt was also a sword. Only until yesterday, it was explained to me by my brother that it was just sharp on both sides of the blade.
18.
That in the song "I Just can't wait to be King" from the Lion King, Zazu has a line "This child is getting wildly out of wing". When I was a kid I thought that meant Simba was flying all over the place or something along those lines, but now I realize Simba is just "out of hand" except Zazu is a bird, so he doesn't have hands he has wings
19.
I was playing Monopoly, and someone owned a load of properties all clustered together. I said “you’ve got a bit of a monopoly on that part of the board. Hey that’s funny, because we’re playing Monopoly, and you got a... oh I see now.”
20.
'The Los Angeles Angels' is actually 'The the angels angels'.

1.
Took me a long time to realize pay-per-view was actually words that described it (I'd never seen it written)
2.
A chef is called a chef in a restaurant because restaurants originated in France and ‘chef’ just means boss in French.
3.
"Eeyore" is the noise donkeys make.
4.
Might just be a US thing but whatever, The measuring stick/pole on the inside of gas stations is for identifying the height of potential robbers
5.
I thought a birthday suit was just your favorite outfit. Like, you save this special outfit for an celebratory occasion. Always got weird looks when I told people I was going shopping for my birthday suit. I wish I was joking.
6.
That you have to actually put together a trampoline. I'm 27 and i legitimately always thought they always just folded in half or something until recently someone said "it's so difficult to pull the tarp across." I had to pull my boyfriend aside to ask what the heck they were talking about.
7.
I just finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. At the end of the book, there was a little blurb about the author; Abraham Stoker. Bram is short for Abraham. I didn't know that.
8.
Mount Wannahockaloogie- I am Aussie so hearing it without subtitles as a kid, I just assumed it was another american attempt at an Aussie sounding name. Seeing it written down made me feel like the dumbest thing alive.
9.
That in order to properly use a hand dryer, you have to rub your hands. I used to just put my hands under it and question why it was taking so long, but then I saw one of my friends rubbing their hands, and I felt stupid.
10.
I thought that Viagra just gave you an erection for a few hours straight. I did not realize that you had any control in the matter. I think the part where they say "if the erection lasts for more that four hours..." gave me this misconception. Learned this year that it does not work that way lol. (Female, 27)
11.
That raincoats typically have bright colours so you're easier to spot during heavy rain, not because raincoat designers have bad taste
12.
Ecuador is Spanish for equator and the country is named so because yep....
13.
Vert = green; Mont = Mountain Put them together and you get Vermont (the Green Mountain state)
14.
When my son was young and Abba Take a Chance on Me came on, I sang, "Jackie Chan Jackie Chan...". My son sang it too. As an adult, he called me horrified. "MOM. YOU LIED TO ME ALL MY LIFE. I was driving and the Jackie Chan song came on. I turned it up and rolled down the windows and started to chant the song and realized THEY WERE NOT SINGING JACKIE CHAN. MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD WAS A LIE!" I haven't laughed so hard in years. He still hasn't forgiven me.
15.
That the Guinness beer company is responsible for the Guinness book of world records
16.
The houses in Bikini Bottom are car mufflers
17.
When people said, "it's a double-edged sword," I thought the sword's hilt was also a sword. Only until yesterday, it was explained to me by my brother that it was just sharp on both sides of the blade.
18.
That in the song "I Just can't wait to be King" from the Lion King, Zazu has a line "This child is getting wildly out of wing". When I was a kid I thought that meant Simba was flying all over the place or something along those lines, but now I realize Simba is just "out of hand" except Zazu is a bird, so he doesn't have hands he has wings
19.
I was playing Monopoly, and someone owned a load of properties all clustered together. I said “you’ve got a bit of a monopoly on that part of the board. Hey that’s funny, because we’re playing Monopoly, and you got a... oh I see now.”
20.
'The Los Angeles Angels' is actually 'The the angels angels'.

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1. Took me a long time to realize pay-per-view was actually words that described it (I'd never seen it written)

2. A chef is called a chef in a restaurant because restaurants originated in France and ‘chef’ just means boss in French.

3. "Eeyore" is the noise donkeys make.

4. Might just be a US thing but whatever, The measuring stick/pole on the inside of gas stations is for identifying the height of potential robbers

5. I thought a birthday suit was just your favorite outfit. Like, you save this special outfit for an celebratory occasion. Always got weird looks when I told people I was going shopping for my birthday suit. I wish I was joking.

6. That you have to actually put together a trampoline. I'm 27 and i legitimately always thought they always just folded in half or something until recently someone said "it's so difficult to pull the tarp across." I had to pull my boyfriend aside to ask what the heck they were talking about.

7. I just finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. At the end of the book, there was a little blurb about the author; Abraham Stoker. Bram is short for Abraham. I didn't know that.

8. Mount Wannahockaloogie- I am Aussie so hearing it without subtitles as a kid, I just assumed it was another american attempt at an Aussie sounding name. Seeing it written down made me feel like the dumbest thing alive.

9. That in order to properly use a hand dryer, you have to rub your hands. I used to just put my hands under it and question why it was taking so long, but then I saw one of my friends rubbing their hands, and I felt stupid.

11. That raincoats typically have bright colours so you're easier to spot during heavy rain, not because raincoat designers have bad taste

12. Ecuador is Spanish for equator and the country is named so because yep....

13. Vert = green; Mont = Mountain Put them together and you get Vermont (the Green Mountain state)

15. That the Guinness beer company is responsible for the Guinness book of world records

16. The houses in Bikini Bottom are car mufflers

17. When people said, "it's a double-edged sword," I thought the sword's hilt was also a sword. Only until yesterday, it was explained to me by my brother that it was just sharp on both sides of the blade.

19. I was playing Monopoly, and someone owned a load of properties all clustered together. I said “you’ve got a bit of a monopoly on that part of the board. Hey that’s funny, because we’re playing Monopoly, and you got a... oh I see now.”

20. 'The Los Angeles Angels' is actually 'The the angels angels'.

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6.

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8.

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eBaum's Picks

1.
Took me a long time to realize pay-per-view was actually words that described it (I'd never seen it written)

2.
A chef is called a chef in a restaurant because restaurants originated in France and ‘chef’ just means boss in French.

3.
"Eeyore" is the noise donkeys make.

4.
Might just be a US thing but whatever, The measuring stick/pole on the inside of gas stations is for identifying the height of potential robbers

5.
I thought a birthday suit was just your favorite outfit. Like, you save this special outfit for an celebratory occasion. Always got weird looks when I told people I was going shopping for my birthday suit. I wish I was joking.

6.
That you have to actually put together a trampoline. I'm 27 and i legitimately always thought they always just folded in half or something until recently someone said "it's so difficult to pull the tarp across." I had to pull my boyfriend aside to ask what the heck they were talking about.

7.
I just finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. At the end of the book, there was a little blurb about the author; Abraham Stoker. Bram is short for Abraham. I didn't know that.

8.
Mount Wannahockaloogie- I am Aussie so hearing it without subtitles as a kid, I just assumed it was another american attempt at an Aussie sounding name. Seeing it written down made me feel like the dumbest thing alive.

9.
That in order to properly use a hand dryer, you have to rub your hands. I used to just put my hands under it and question why it was taking so long, but then I saw one of my friends rubbing their hands, and I felt stupid.

11.
That raincoats typically have bright colours so you're easier to spot during heavy rain, not because raincoat designers have bad taste

12.
Ecuador is Spanish for equator and the country is named so because yep....

13.
Vert = green; Mont = Mountain Put them together and you get Vermont (the Green Mountain state)

15.
That the Guinness beer company is responsible for the Guinness book of world records

16.
The houses in Bikini Bottom are car mufflers

17.
When people said, "it's a double-edged sword," I thought the sword's hilt was also a sword. Only until yesterday, it was explained to me by my brother that it was just sharp on both sides of the blade.

19.
I was playing Monopoly, and someone owned a load of properties all clustered together. I said “you’ve got a bit of a monopoly on that part of the board. Hey that’s funny, because we’re playing Monopoly, and you got a... oh I see now.”

20.
'The Los Angeles Angels' is actually 'The the angels angels'.