What really obvious thing have you only just realised?

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

When I first heard 'expatriate' I thought it was ex-patriot, meaning somebody who had lost their patriotism.

New Home

thelad95 wrote: »

For years, I thought LUAS was an abbreviation for something like DART but it was pointed out to me that it's actually the Irish for speed.

I seem to remember that initially it meant Light Urban Area (rail) System, or something like that, just like DART is Dublin Area Rapid Transit, but yes, Luas is a play on word and it does mean 'Speed' in Irish.

Allyall

I just realised that Mark Knopfler is singing 'It's all too late now" in the song that is advertising his album in every advert break.

I thought he was singing "Salty Lady"

bucketybuck

New Home wrote: »

I seem to remember that initially it meant Light Urban Area (rail) System, or something like that, just like DART is Dublin Area Rapid Transit, but yes, Luas is a play on word and it does mean 'Speed' in Irish.

Did they not have a search for names, with people making suggestions and LUAS eventually chosen?

It was never called the Light Urban Area System though, LUAS was never an acronym. You are probably thinking of the initial descriptor in the planning stage of a Light Rail Transit (LTR) system project.

New Home

You might very well be right, it was just a vague memory.

Capt'n Midnight

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

They are better at arithmetic because they learn how to do sums differently. Instead of times tables they learn how to use an abacus mentally

Flash Anzan,
http://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2012/oct/29/mathematics

japanese multiplication is just drawing lines and counting the intersections
http://www.wikihow.com/Multiply-Using-the-Line-Method

Very interesting, but it's an unsatisfactory rationale behind 'Asian' superiority over Europeans in mathematics. Exercises involving mental abacuses are purely arithmetic, and in my previous experience of tutoring maths, hons-level schoolkids and undergrads don't struggle with arithmetic.

They struggle with deeper mathematical concepts. (I say deeper, but i really mean basic college entry-level ability)

I have long suspected the reason why westerners, on average, demonstrate inferior mathematical skills is purely cultural, partly perpetuated by an educational system that tries to prevent hurt feelings at the expense of hard work. This culture also says 'maths is too hard; it doesn't matter'. After all, how often have you heard people casually, almost proudly, chirp that they are hopeless at maths?

Interesting article on it here
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b1ec9ac2-987c-11e3-a32f-00144feab7de.html#axzz3VA4eNvzl

Mister Vain

Up until yesterday I thought Picadilly Circus in London was an actual circus.

civis_liberalis

Mister Vain wrote: »

Up until yesterday I thought Picadilly Circus in London was an actual circus.

"In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction."

IsMiseMyself

I thought Belfast was a county until I was helping my little cousin fill in a map of Ireland.

Spunge

thelad95 wrote: »

For years, I thought LUAS was an abbreviation for something like DART but it was pointed out to me that it's actually the Irish for speed.

now i know how to order drugs as gailge

Adyx

Lennie from Porridge is Kate Beckinsale's dad. :eek:

Hammer Archer

Watching the episode of Father Ted with Henry Sellers. The part where Dougal freaks out when Ted asks him to pick heads or tails, he says "Sorry Ted, I'm no good at making decisions". I always thought he then says "Where am I?". But he actually says "Or am I?".

Basically, what was a funny line for nearly 20 years all of a sudden got so much funnier.

Bassfish

IsMiseMyself wrote: »

I thought Belfast was a county until I was helping my little cousin fill in a map of Ireland.

I thought the same about Athlone until I was well into my twenties!

Gloomtastic!

Spunge wrote: »

now i know how to order drugs as gailge

Know many gaeileoir dealers?

PARlance

Adyx wrote: »

Lennie from Porridge is Kate Beckinsale's dad. :eek:

Interesting, but not obvious

Pawwed Rig

IsMiseMyself wrote: »

I thought Belfast was a county until I was helping my little cousin fill in a map of Ireland.

I have a friend who is convinced that LK on the car reg is for Co. Letterkenny.

Ace Attorney

In them crime/drama shows i though a blow to the head was callled death by blood force trauma but its actually blunt force trauma

thelad95

Given there's over 3000 posts here, I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere already but the word 'incredible' meanings something that one can not see as credible.

Similarly, disease means not at ease. Most people pronounce the word wrong with the two s's having z sounds when the first s should have a softer sound.

While I'm at it, a radiator is something that radiates heat. I never viewed the word in that context.

Adyx

thelad95 wrote: »

Given there's over 3000 posts here, I'm sure this has been mentioned somewhere already but the word 'incredible' meanings something that one can not see as credible.

Similarly, disease means not at ease. Most people pronounce the word wrong with the two s's having z sounds when the first s should have a softer sound.

While I'm at it, a radiator is something that radiates heat. I never viewed the word in that context.

Everything radiates heat unless it's at 0K, most heat from radiators is transferred by convection.

FunLover18

Adyx wrote:

Everything radiates heat unless it's at 0K, most heat from radiators is transferred by convection.

So, we should call them ... convectors!?

Capt'n Midnight

FunLover18 wrote: »

So, we should call them ... convectors!?

yes.

unless you paint them black and double glaze them

Allyall

Angelina Jolie is (only) 39!!?? :eek::eek::eek::eek:

I thought she was in her late 40's..

everlast75

Tayto is taken from the word potato 😕

PARlance

Diamonds are worthless

Pawwed Rig

PARlance wrote: »

Diamonds are worthless

They're not you know. Worth is what someone will pay for it

Jesus Wept

all women love all black lads

civis_liberalis

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

They're not you know. Worth is what someone will pay for it

Which can be nothing, entirely depending on the situation!

The King of Moo

A trenchcoat = a coat worn by soldiers in the trenches in World War I.

dori_dormer

Not totally obvious but was reading a newspaper article involving the police cordoning off an area. I asked my husband how they always manage to spell cornered wrong. Aparently it's a real word! I can't make myself say it!

MistyCheese

Just think of James Corden. Being cordoned off in the US.