# Basic facts you learned late in life that you didn't really know. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711 "2010-02-19T23:37:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/261 "2010-03-15T22:48:09Z")
Embarrassingly late in my life, I learned that biweekly meant twice a week rather than once every two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/262 "2010-03-15T22:56:30Z")
Related to: > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Until just now, when I saw this and looked it up, I thought draught, as in draught beer or draught horse, was spelled “draft.” In fact, Google Chrome is telling me right now that “draught” is spelled incorrectly. :3 I rarely drink beer (or any alcoholic beverage) so I thought that there was a type called a logger. Found out a year or two ago that it’s lager. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/263 "2010-03-15T23:46:17Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Embarrassingly late in my life, I learned that biweekly meant twice a week rather than once every two weeks. Meh… it really does mean once every two weeks, but it’s been used and abused so much that nobody feels comfortable taking a stand on it. But I will. If biweekly means twice weekly, then what’s the right word to express every two weeks? (Not semi-monthly… I mean exactly two weeks). Do the words semiweekly and biweekly mean the same thing? If not, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/264 "2010-03-16T01:06:29Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > I was watching an episode of David Letterman where Chris Rock was the guest and someone yelled out “Woo! Shanghai Noon!” Rock pointed and said “THAT’S Chris TUCKER.” So you’re not the only one. > > As for mine I was late 20s when I was describing someone to a friend as being “Her-sweet” to which she replied “Uh, do you mean _hirsute_?” For some reason I thought there was an extra “I” in there someplace. What’s worse, I’m sure I’d said it multiple times before and no one had bothered to correct me. That was when I realized that I may have been wrong in my assumption. :eek: And speaking of spelling, I just discovered while doing a Google image search that Amanda Bynes doesn’t have an “r” anywhere in her surname. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/265 "2010-03-16T01:09:02Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I just came late to this thread, so pardon the comment on one of the first posts. I couldn’t resist, though. > > The reason people combine the things, is because it cleans things VERY well. Unfortunately, the reason it does that is by producing free chlorine gas, which will kill you. I knew that, when I had to clean something really nasty, so I got one of those military surplus gas masks and had at it. Worked wonders. I suppose I should inform you that military-grade gas masks provide no protection from chlorine gas. 😃 They are designed to filter out toxins in liquid particulate form (vapor, basically), but won’t prevent actual gasses from traveling through the filter. That said, there might be a filter that DOES filter out chlorine which I don’t know about, but it’s not a general issue item. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/266 "2010-03-16T02:38:54Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > If biweekly means twice weekly, then what’s the right word to express every two weeks? Bimonthly means twice a month, so that’s pretty close to every two weeks. In February it’s precise, even 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/267 "2010-03-16T02:49:44Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Bimonthly means twice a month, so that’s pretty close to every two weeks. In February it’s precise, even 🙂 I thought bimonthly meant every two months? ---
**Author:** ![HepToTheJive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@HepToTheJive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HepToTheJive)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/268 "2010-03-16T03:01:35Z")
> [@maisoui](#): > > I was 27 before I learned that you could open the tab on a take-out cup lid and fold it back on itself and it would snap in and stick open. > > Not me, but I was in the car when it dawned upon a woman in her early 30’s that the “deer crossing” sign we went past was _not for the deer_! The cup thing…I Just learned that _today._ I thought every take-out coffee lid I’ve ever had before was faulty. At my new job this morning I said, "Hey, why not just push the tab back into itself _a little_ harder and then… **pop!** It worked. I am 24. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/269 "2010-03-16T05:48:04Z")
Biweekly and bimonthly can mean either twice a week/month OR every 2 weeks/months. Both are correct. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/270 "2010-03-16T08:16:45Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > Meh… it really does mean once every two weeks, but it’s been used and abused so much that nobody feels comfortable taking a stand on it. But I will. If biweekly means twice weekly, then what’s the right word to express every two weeks? Fortnightly? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/271 "2010-03-16T08:53:35Z")
You know that page of a newspaper that shortly lists various robberies/arsons/rapes/deaths/murders/odd stuff ? In french it’s commonly called “Faits divers” (various reprehensible actions). As a kid, I heard it like “Faits d’hiver” (winter actions/facts), and it would take quite some years before the lightbulb moment. I had vaguely wondered why winter, but never dwelled on it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/272 "2010-03-16T16:35:52Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > I was watching an episode of David Letterman where Chris Rock was the guest and someone yelled out “Woo! Shanghai Noon!” Rock pointed and said “THAT’S Chris TUCKER.” So you’re not the only one. Chris Tucker wasn’t in Shanghai Noon. He was in Rush Hour. In fact, he hasn’t been in any movie BUT a “Rush Hour” movie in thirteen years. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/273 "2010-03-16T17:51:24Z")
When I was 27 I learned that donuts are fried, not baked. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/274 "2010-03-16T17:52:19Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Embarrassingly late in my life, I learned that biweekly meant twice a week rather than once every two weeks. I actually looked this one up less than a month ago to verify it myself–just wanted to confirm that it does legitimately mean either, depending on context. [[QUOTE=m-w.com](http://QUOTE=m-w.com)] Main Entry: 1bi·week·ly Pronunciation: (ˌ)bī-ˈwē-klē Function: adjective Date: 1832 1 : occurring twice a week 2 : occurring every two weeks : fortnightly [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/275 "2010-03-16T18:08:39Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I actually looked this one up less than a month ago to verify it myself–just wanted to confirm that it does legitimately mean either, depending on context. I sued to be a systems analyst for very large payroll databases. Biweekly meant every two weeks in that context because few people get paid exactly twice a week. I thought that there was no good way around this vocabulary problem but I do like the idea of “fortnightly” coming back into vogue once again and that would work. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/276 "2010-03-16T18:12:12Z")
> [@El\_Nene](#): > > When I was 27 I learned that donuts are fried, not baked. They ARE?! Also: Just yesterday I learned that tampons go INTO the woman. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/277 "2010-03-16T18:18:51Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Also: Just yesterday I learned that tampons go INTO the woman. I’m curious what you thought before… ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/278 "2010-03-16T18:23:50Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I’m curious what you thought before… I thought they were just pads that like caught and soaked up the blood. :3 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/279 "2010-03-16T19:26:04Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I thought they were just pads that like caught and soaked up the blood. :3 I always figured boys would pass around the instructions from tampon boxes as a kind of easy-come-by proto-porn. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/280 "2010-03-16T21:02:22Z")
> [@Sidney Evgeni Jordan](#): > > Until I was about 25 I thought Lindsey Buckingham was female. I learned the truth after seeing Fleetwood Mac’s mid-90s reunion show on TV. :eek: Another example of names changing from male to female. In FWMs heyday I don’t think there were any adult women, born before 1955 or so, named Lindsey or Lindsay. There was a Lindsay in my brother’s HS class (1974), male of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711.md?page=15)