# Things you FINALLY figured out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223 "2023-04-05T22:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [April 7, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/41 "2023-04-07T21:22:51Z")
I was typing the phrase “bearer of bad news” today, and realized how it related to the title of the movie “The Bad News Bears”. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/42 "2023-04-07T21:53:27Z")
I didn’t figure that out until… right now. I think I posted this in the similar thread in Cafe Society a long time ago, but similarly, it took be decades to realize the word play in the title _Sister Act_. I finally learned that a sister act is a musical act made up of women who are sisters, such as The Andrews Sisters. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/43 "2023-04-07T22:04:21Z")
Huh. I never make my bed, except right after washing and changing the sheets. Except… when I sleep in a bed that doesn’t have fitted sheets, I do make it. And I do that about once a year. So… I guess I kinda knew that, I just never thought about it. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/44 "2023-04-07T23:42:55Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > My _actual_ dream car is a Triumph TR6. I had a TR6 back in the late 70s. The jokes about British cars are _not_ exaggerated. It was a super fun car to drive and I learned a lot about electrical systems from working on it. I was also in the best shape of my life because I pushed it so much, but whatever… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/45 "2023-04-08T00:05:20Z")
My attitude towards sports cars is that, all of the enjoyment I get from them, I get by just looking at them. And I can do that without owning one. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/46 "2023-04-08T00:55:11Z")
A friend of mine back in the 70’s had a matching pair of TR6’s in chocolate brown. He’d drive one while the other one was getting fixed, then swap when #2 broke. That’s where I learned about how the British still don’t really understand electricity. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/47 "2023-04-08T06:53:09Z")
The etymological relationship between Punic and Phoenician is reflected by the p-n-c sequence in both words. I figured that out on my own (far later than I should have), but here it is nicely summarized by someone else: > If these were wars between Rome and Carthage, why are they called the Punic Wars? > The word “Punic” derives from the word “Phoenician” (phoinix in Greek or punicus in Latin), and refers to the citizens of Carthage, who were descended from the Phoenicians. > **[Your guide to the Punic Wars](https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/what-were-punic-wars-when-fought-who-won-rome-vs-carthage/)** > > For nearly 80 years, Rome and Carthage fought for supremacy in a series of wars that saw Hannibal lead elephants over the Alps and Rome suffer one of its worst military defeats at Cannae. Find out how Rome eventually triumphed in the Punic Wars, and... ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/48 "2023-04-08T12:21:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That’s where I learned about how the British still don’t really understand electricity. “Lucas, the Lord of Darkness” ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/49 "2023-04-08T14:04:11Z")
I live within walking distance of a fall line, that line around the edge of a continent where the flat continental shelf and the hilly piedmont meet. I have for decades. There are places I go at least weekly where you can locate the fall line to a few dozen feet, which is actually quite rare. But I wasn’t clear on the gist of the piedmont. It seemed to mean the hilly or mountainous part of a continent, but then there were things specifically indicating it did NOT mean the mountains. Eventually I wondered if it meant the foothills. The other day it occurred to me that “pied mont” is “foothill” translated. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/50 "2023-04-08T14:23:33Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realised Punakaiki is just the Maori-fied word for Pancake. Likewise, I didn’t know that Kiribati was the transliterated version of “Gilberts” (as in the Gilbert Islands) for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/51 "2023-04-08T17:16:36Z")
I took a year of classical Greek in high school (along with three years of Latin). I have a BS degree in mathematics. So I’m very very familiar with the Greek alphabet. But it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that it dawned on me that “omega” means “big O” (Greek mega=big) and “omicron” means “little O” (micron=small). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/52 "2023-04-08T21:14:18Z")
I’ve never learned Greek, but I also know the Greek alphabet well from math/physics (I’m an electrical engineer), and I also had the same kind of late revelation about omicron/omega, though I didn’t figure it out myself, but read about it on some website or maybe newspaper article. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/53 "2023-04-08T21:23:03Z")
It just dawned on me that _BS_ is a bachelor of science. Thanks to a search engine. Because _BS degree in mathematics_ didn’t sound right with the meaning I assumed. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/54 "2023-04-09T01:20:00Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I was typing the phrase “bearer of bad news” today, and realized how it related to the title of the movie “The Bad News Bears”. Thanks for enlightening me on that one. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/55 "2023-04-09T01:33:04Z")
Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like a banana. I must have first heard that in my early teens (1970 or so). I just assumed the joke was arrows fly straight and fast and fruit, well, fruit doesn’t fly very well at all, particularly bananas. I must have been nearly 60 years old before I finally figured it out. I laughed when I did. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/56 "2023-04-09T01:50:15Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I learned that my car has heated seats when my son borrowed it and left the driver’s seat on. The next time I drove it, the first thing I thought as it warmed up was “oh, no - I haven’t wet myself, have I?”. Yes! What it feels like to me is that I’m perpetually sitting in a chair that someone just got out of and still has a lot of residual butt heat. Which isn’t a horrible experience for a few seconds, but not one that I want to last forever. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2023, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/57 "2023-04-09T03:58:46Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I learned that my car has heated seats My friend (and now I) call it the Rump Roaster. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/58 "2023-04-09T04:09:46Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > My _actual_ dream car is a Triumph TR6. > > I had a TR6 back in the late 70s. The jokes about British cars are _not_ exaggerated. > > It was a super fun car to drive and **I learned a lot about electrical systems from working on it.** I was also in the best shape of my life because I pushed it so much, but whatever… Too bad ol’ Lucas never learned. > [@enipla](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > That’s where I learned about how the British still don’t really understand electricity. > > “Lucas, the Lord of Darkness” “Prince” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/59 "2023-04-09T04:12:21Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I had a TR6 back in the late 70s. The jokes about British cars are _not_ exaggerated. > > It was a super fun car to drive and I learned a lot about electrical systems from working on it… Ahhh… I remember working on a friend’s MGB that had one of those Lucas electrical systems. The joke was “Why do the British drink warm beer?” “Because Lucas wired their refrigerators.” > [@Chronos](#): > > My attitude towards sports cars is that, all of the enjoyment I get from them, I get by just looking at them. And I can do that without owning one. Damn, that’s a revelation. I’ve been shopping for my dream car for a decade now: “Ok, so someday when I’ve saved enough… I’ll get a Toyota GR Supra with modern tech. Wait, no, now I want a totally low-tech Miata, first generation…” And it hasn’t cost me a penny! ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2023, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223/60 "2023-04-09T04:16:23Z")
Oh yeah. I had a friend who rode a Triumph motorcycle. Once he was in charge of bringing the beer to a party and suddenly lost his headlights due to electrical failure. He walked to the nearest payphone and called me to come and get him. When I got there and the beer was transferred to my trunk, my starter failed. We both just sat there and drank warm beer and agreed that we were having much more fun by ourselves than at a stoopid party. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-finally-figured-out/982223.md?page=4)