What really obvious thing have you only just realised?

Chin Stroker · 08-01-2013 06:59AM

Oooh this is going well!

Cheers all for the contributions

ruserious · 08-01-2013 10:27AM

That a favourite cartoon from my youth: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles had to be censored in Europe and was actually called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the US.

rgmmg · 08-01-2013 10:47AM

I used to have a crack at the Irish Times Simplex with my Mum when I was growing up (we only had RTE1 and RTE2

). My younger brother always wanted to help but didn't know any answers.

In the Irish Times, below the crosswords, it reads "Solution Tomorrow" i.e. "We'll give you the solution tomorrow." Nearby is yesterday's solution - the answers to the previous crossword.

One day, my younger brother said "I am sick of you two always doing the crossword. I will do it myself tomorrow." I looked over at him 30 mins later to realise he had copied yesterday's solution thinking it was tomorrow's solution

sbsquarepants · 08-01-2013 10:54AM

I very recently realised - about 2 or 3 years ago (i'm 38!) that you can in fact toast a single slice of bread in a toaster. When i was a child my father in his infinite wisdom told me that leaving a slice of bread out of the toaster would cause it to burn itself out - and i for some reason accepted this as gospel. It was actually my daughter who set me staright when i tried to impart this "wisdom" to her - i do this all the time she said - toaster still works fine.
I felt very, very stupid about that one!

Magenta · 08-01-2013 11:17AM

Patchy~ wrote: »

That Montreal, being a French speaking country, has a French meaning. Mont Royale. And I love French. :pac:

It's not a country. It's a province.

ITS_A_BADGER · 08-01-2013 11:19AM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I very recently realised - about 2 or 3 years ago (i'm 38!) that you can in fact toast a single slice of bread in a toaster. When i was a child my father in his infinite wisdom told me that leaving a slice of bread out of the toaster would cause it to burn itself out - and i for some reason accepted this as gospel. It was actually my daughter who set me staright when i tried to impart this "wisdom" to her - i do this all the time she said - toaster still works fine.
I felt very, very stupid about that one!

I acutally dont blame ya man, parents dont realize that the stuff they say to us when were younger sticks with us, yano because its coming from our parents it must be gospel:rolleyes: My mother had me believe that it was dangerous to fill the kettle with new water on top of already boiled water that was sitting in a cold kettle and to boil it again with the mix of old and new water, i believed this into my mid teens

DavyD_83 · 08-01-2013 11:40AM

poldebruin wrote: »

Maybe it's not all that obvious, but pretty neat all the same....when tying your shoelaces, when you get to the bit where you go around the loops you made from left to right.....go around from right to left instead (it takes a bit of getting used to), you will have made the stronger version of the knot and your laces will not open until you untie them last thing at night!

I still just make two bows n knot them; could never get my head around the 'fancy way'.

mackg · 08-01-2013 11:45AM

Copped on yesterday to what new potatoes actually are. I worked in a fruit and veg department for a number of years before this and ate potatoes virtually every day of my life growing up.

Squ · 08-01-2013 12:22PM

mackg wrote: »

Copped on yesterday to what new potatoes actually are.

Share the knowledge, wise one

Adyx · 08-01-2013 02:31PM

ruserious wrote: »

That a favourite cartoon from my youth: Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles had to be censored in Europe and was actually called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the US.

Funnily enough the animation company that made it are in Dublin. (I didn't just realise this, it says it in the credits at the end).

KungPao · 08-01-2013 02:40PM

The word "Boardsie", an in a user of this website, is boards.ie minus the dot!

Wow!

Omeceron · 08-01-2013 02:48PM

old hippy wrote: »

The mysterious character in "Person of Interest" is named Mr. Rhys. Took me a couple of episodes.

I've watched the entire first series and never realised that.

Was quite proud the day I discovered the extra meanings in the real name of The Riddler from Batman.

Mr. Edward Nigma.

Mr E. and E Nigma.

Plazaman · 08-01-2013 03:24PM

It's only in the last 5 or 6 years (outta 40+) that I got my head around Time Zones. They fascinate me and since I have friends who emigrated to Oz I always enjoy the way they're out on the piss on a Friday night when I'm just going to work. I got many Happy New Years and I wasn't even outta the bed on New Years Eve morn (well nearly lunchtime).

I loved the fact that at the end of 2011, Samoa opted to jump the International Date Line for business purposes (they used to trade with the US but now do more trade with NZ). So at midnight on Friday 29th Dec 2011 they jumped to Sunday 31st Dec missing out a full day. Many tourists were then able to celebrate New Years Eve then on New Years Day, take a two hour flight to American Samoa and celebrate New Years Eve again as they crossed the date line.

Now that's how to par-tay (and may top Oktoberfest on my to do list).

Vélo · 08-01-2013 04:27PM

A cousin of mine used to think Fast Food Restaurants were somewhere you went to eat when you were fasting.

Capt'n Midnight · 08-01-2013 04:33PM

ITS_A_BADGER wrote: »

My mother had me believe that it was dangerous to fill the kettle with new water on top of already boiled water that was sitting in a cold kettle and to boil it again with the mix of old and new water, i believed this into my mid teens

Oh dear lord :eek:

Don't you know that to make tea properly you need to use freshly aerated water

Malari · 08-01-2013 05:38PM

You don't only use 10% of your brain.

I realised this was clearly a myth about 2 years ago and I'm still embarrassed

mikemac1 · 08-01-2013 09:45PM

Sit in your car and look at your rear view mirror

There is a tab at the bottom that you can flick if it's nighttime and some fooker is behind you with full lights and dazzling you

I was driving over 5 years before I knew you could do that

Sinfonia · 08-01-2013 09:47PM

Magenta wrote: »

It's not a country. It's a province.

It's not a province. It's a city.

Canard · 08-01-2013 09:56PM

I knew it wasn't a country (obviously it's part of Canada and not a country in itself), I just wasn't arsed thinking of a better word. :pac:

iguana · 08-01-2013 10:05PM

Plazaman wrote: »

It's only in the last 5 or 6 years (outta 40+) that I got my head around Time Zones. They fascinate me and since I have friends who emigrated to Oz I always enjoy the way they're out on the piss on a Friday night when I'm just going to work. I got many Happy New Years and I wasn't even outta the bed on New Years Eve morn (well nearly lunchtime).

I loved the fact that at the end of 2011, Samoa opted to jump the International Date Line for business purposes (they used to trade with the US but now do more trade with NZ). So at midnight on Friday 29th Dec 2011 they jumped to Sunday 31st Dec missing out a full day. Many tourists were then able to celebrate New Years Eve then on New Years Day, take a two hour flight to American Samoa and celebrate New Years Eve again as they crossed the date line.

Now that's how to par-tay (and may top Oktoberfest on my to do list).

If you think that's fascinating try this one on for size. I know two people who recently had babies within a few hours of each other. The first baby was born in America, the second in Europe. But European baby was born shortly after midnight, meaning that technically he is a day older than the American baby he was born several hours after.

cantdecide · 09-01-2013 01:46AM

iguana wrote: »

If you think that's fascinating try this one on for size. I know two people who recently had babies within a few hours of each other. The first baby was born in America, the second in Europe. But European baby was born shortly after midnight, meaning that technically he is a day older than the American baby he was born several hours after.

I had my 30th birthday 13 hours before my twin brother. I was used to being ten minutes younger.

Meangadh · 09-01-2013 02:31AM

I found this out a few years ago, thought it was cool:

The dessert "Tiramisu" means "Pick me up" (tirami sù) in Italian, because the dessert contains both alcohol and coffee so it gives people a kind of "pick me up" after a meal!

More recently, I learned that this thread is brilliant

Eathrin · 09-01-2013 02:52AM

I first did the macarena dance while on holidays when I was very young. These were the lyrics which my parents taught me:

"one maca two maca three macarena
four maca five maca six macarena
seven maca eigth maca nine macarena
heey macarena"

Only recently after hearing the song again and seeing a lyrics video did I realise that the song had a full set of Spanish lyrics and what I was singing was nonsense.

xLexie · 09-01-2013 03:28AM

I ve realised that I don't need to have sex at all cause my life screws me every day

miralize · 09-01-2013 04:02AM

TIL that HMV is now a consumer tech retailer.

DavyD_83 · 09-01-2013 10:48AM

iguana wrote: »

If you think that's fascinating try this one on for size. I know two people who recently had babies within a few hours of each other. The first baby was born in America, the second in Europe. But European baby was born shortly after midnight, meaning that technically he is a day older than the American baby he was born several hours after.

Pretty sure you have that backwards in some way

iguana · 09-01-2013 12:11PM

DavyD_83 wrote: »

Pretty sure you have that backwards in some way

Yup, totally backwards. The European baby was born first, in the early hours of the 8th. The American baby was born several hours later late at night on the 7th. So the American baby is a day older, though actually about 5 hours younger.

AEDIC · 09-01-2013 12:16PM

mikemac1 wrote: »

Sit in your car and look at your rear view mirror

There is a tab at the bottom that you can flick if it's nighttime and some fooker is behind you with full lights and dazzling you

I was driving over 5 years before I knew you could do that

lol..

Did you also know that your sun visor can be unhinged on the left hand side in most cars and swung over to your door window to stop side glare?

leonidas83 · 09-01-2013 12:25PM

Something ive began to realise more & more over the years,
If you buy sh*te, you'll buy twice

Allyall · 09-01-2013 01:49PM

Eathrin wrote: »

I first did the macarena dance while on holidays when I was very young. These were the lyrics which my parents taught me:

"one maca two maca three macarena
four maca five maca six macarena
seven maca eigth maca nine macarena
heey macarena"

Only recently after hearing the song again and seeing a lyrics video did I realise that the song had a full set of Spanish lyrics and what I was singing was nonsense.

I was trying to repeat that story to my mother, and couldn't stop laughing.. Tears running down both cheeks..

Had her in hysterics and she didn't even know what i was saying.. (Or trying to say)

What really obvious thing have you only just realised?

Comments