# Simple thing you finally figured out that made you feel stupid **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805 "2005-06-04T00:00:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/221 "2005-06-11T06:15:10Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > This one happened to me about ten minutes ago: > > "Hey, I can’t put this t-shirt on…where’s the neck hole? There’s no neck hole! Sonofagun, where the heck are the arm holes?? What kind of crappy t-shirt is this? It’s almost like it’s a… > > …pillowcase." > > :smack: Great. Now I woke my girlfriend up, I hope you’re happy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/222 "2005-06-11T23:27:24Z")
When I was in high school my friends and I decided to audition for the play Antigone that the school was doing in competition (Hey, it would get us extra credit in English and out of school and out of town - we were all for it. Well, until I got one of the leads). As we sat in the audience listening to the director talk about Ann Tig O Knee, we got to wondering if the director had decided to go with a different play than the original Anti Gone. Unfortunately we asked. Unfortunately a similar situation happened during a disucssion of the Odyssey. Odysseus’ wife Penelope apparently doesn’t pronounce her name Penna Lope. after the laughter subsided, I attempted to convince the teacher and class that it was the Greek pronunciation. I failed. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/223 "2005-06-11T23:29:36Z")
**TV Time** …? _Ouch._ ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/224 "2005-06-11T23:39:48Z")
I am a big baseball fan, and for years I thought that the stylized “M” on the Montreal Expos logo actually was the word “elk”. I thought it was some weird Canadian thing. [logo](http://mvp.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1857291) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/225 "2005-06-11T23:43:29Z")
Until I was about 14 years old, I thought the US Postal Service [logo](http://www.bvdp.de/files/presse/images/USPS_Pleitegeier_mit_umlaufender_Schrift.jpg) depicted a human face with a huge nose, in profile, looking left. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/226 "2005-06-11T23:46:17Z")
> [@Lamar Mundane](#): > > I am a big baseball fan, and for years I thought that the stylized “M” on the Montreal Expos logo actually was the word “elk”. I thought it was some weird Canadian thing. > > [logo](http://mvp.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1857291) _That’s an ‘m’!?_ Well…we all know my :smack: moment. I thought it was a d and a b placed nect to each other, and always wondered what the fuck a d abd b have to do withg Montreal. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/227 "2005-06-11T23:47:22Z")
> [@Lamar Mundane](#): > > I am a big baseball fan, and for years I thought that the stylized “M” on the Montreal Expos logo actually was the word “elk”. I thought it was some weird Canadian thing. It’s both a stylized “M” and the letters “elb”. [This site](http://www.aljfkds.com/expos/2004/09/laterplus-tard.html) says the logo means: > [@](#): > > “About your question on the logo. Most Expos fans who have researched the question know that the logo’s purpose is twofold. It is a stylized “M” for sure. It is also the initials of Charles’ daughter, Elizabeth. So it’s actually Elizabeth L Bronfman (the L standing for her middle name, which escapes me at the moment).” ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/228 "2005-06-11T23:57:44Z")
> [@TV time](#): > > Odysseus’ wife Penelope apparently doesn’t pronounce her name Penna Lope. I have an incredibly difficult time saying that name. For some reason, it comes out Pen-Lope. Even now, I have to think about it for a second before saying it (luckily, it’s not a name that comes up often in my life), and if I read it, I automatically read it as Pen-Lope, then correct myself. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/229 "2005-06-11T23:59:51Z")
Oh, and I meant to add that it took me a long time to figure out that lbs was an abbreviation for pounds. I used to say “libs” and I just thought it was another measurement - it wasn’t until my mother sent me to the shelf to get something while we were in the grocery store and I asked her how many libs she wanted that it got explained. With much laughter. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/230 "2005-06-12T00:18:44Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > I have an incredibly difficult time saying that name. For some reason, it comes out Pen-Lope. Even now, I have to think about it for a second before saying it (luckily, it’s not a name that comes up often in my life), and if I read it, I automatically read it as Pen-Lope, then correct myself. Well, if you do slip up and say it wrong, tell whoever you are talking to that it’s the Greek pronunciation. There’s always an outside chance that the person was in that class I was in. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/231 "2005-06-12T01:09:40Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Until I was about 14 years old, I thought the US Postal Service [logo](http://www.bvdp.de/files/presse/images/USPS_Pleitegeier_mit_umlaufender_Schrift.jpg) depicted a human face with a huge nose, in profile, looking left. You would probably have a fascinating Rorschach! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/232 "2005-06-12T02:00:08Z")
When drilling things, I’ve had occasion to feel frustrated when attempting to keep the drill level. Just today, on a drill I’ve owned for at least four years, I noticed that there is a tiny level on the top. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/233 "2005-06-12T02:28:22Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > Staple Removers. All my life, when I had to remove a staple, I would turn the document around, try to fit the 2 teeth of the remover into the 2 curved parts of the staple, and then squeeze. The 2 back parts of the staple would now be loose enough to rip the staple out, causing some slight damage to the paper. I did this for years until one day, for some reason, I did it the correct way. . Errr… What is the correct way??? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/234 "2005-06-12T02:31:49Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Errr… What is the correct way??? [I’m glad I’m not the only one!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6235161&postcount=102) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/235 "2005-06-12T02:59:53Z")
> [@exastris](#): > > [AC/DC] > Dirrr-ty deeds and a thun-der jeep! > Dirrr-ty deeds and a thun-der jeep! > [/AC/DC] > > :smack: Heh-heh. Today my wife, little girl, and I were having lunch out. This song came on and I said: “You know, I’ve always liked this song.” “What song?” _The restaurant was loud_ “Over the speaker - can’t you hear it?” “… Yeah. From the 70s, right?” “Ya’ got it. I still don’t know what the guy is singing in the chorus though.” _She listens…_ “He’s singing ‘You are a magnet, and I am steel’.” “What? Really?” “Yeah. What did you think he was singing?” “Er… nothing.” _laughing_ “C’mon! Spit it out!” “Well, I thought he was singing one of two things - the first made no sense, the second made this song a gay anthem…” “Oh, no. You’re not gonna wimp out on me like this. Tell me!” “Tell Mommy, Daddy! Tell Mommy!” _sigh_ "The first thing, the one that made no sense was ‘You are a man, and I am steel.’ The other translation I could come up with was ‘You are a man, and I am Steve’. " I’m gonna rue this one for a _long_ time! :o :smack: :wally :smack: :o ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/236 "2005-06-12T21:25:28Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > Oh, and I meant to add that it took me a long time to figure out that lbs was an abbreviation for pounds. I used to say “libs” and I just thought it was another measurement - it wasn’t until my mother sent me to the shelf to get something while we were in the grocery store and I asked her how many libs she wanted that it got explained. With much laughter. Sometimes people do say “libs” just to be cute, though. And sometime in the late '70s, my mom belonged to a weight-loss group that was called “Women’s Lb.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/237 "2005-06-12T22:19:54Z")
hheeeyyyy I don’t know a lot crop rotation - we were discussing “something” and the whole hay alfalfa thing was a fer instance - I don’t know much about crop roation, so I don’t know what to rotate when. I grew up on a very small patch o land with just a kitchen garden and some fruit trees. In El Paso Texas, which I spent a miserable couple of years trying to learn my way around, the ‘grid’ is supposedly three triangles. I never did figure it out. They also have a shopping center called Chelmont that I took years to realize was named such because it is at the intersection of Chelsea and Montana streets. Better than Monsea, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/238 "2005-06-12T22:23:43Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > hheeeyyyy > > I don’t know a lot crop rotation - we were discussing “something” and the whole hay alfalfa thing was a fer instance - I don’t know much about crop roation, so I don’t know what to rotate when. I grew up on a very small patch o land with just a kitchen garden and some fruit trees. The rest of the discussion went downhill from there, and I don’t even know how or why it came up or where it might have been headed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bittersweet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@bittersweet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bittersweet)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/239 "2005-06-12T22:47:36Z")
For the longest time, I thought the expression was “Six of one half, dozen the other”. In fact, Michael Stipe of REM sings it that way in _Swan Swan H_. One day, something in my brain clicked, and I realized it is said, “Six of one, half dozen the other”. A funny thing, my gray mass. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805/240 "2005-06-12T22:59:22Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > They also have a shopping center called Chelmont that I took years to realize was named such because it is at the intersection of Chelsea and Montana streets. Better than Monsea, I guess. There’s one of those near where I grew up. Yorkridge Shopping Center, at the intersection of York and Ridgley Roads. I never blurted it out and embarassed myself or anything, it was just one of those, “Oh, hey, I get it! York and Ridgely… Yorkridge! How clever!” moments. :smack: In my defense, I think I was 11 or 12. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-thing-you-finally-figured-out-that-made-you-feel-stupid/306805.md?page=13)