# Things you know that it never occurred to you others wouldn't know... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2015, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696 "2015-11-05T11:07:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/61 "2015-11-05T21:38:03Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > …The problem is that there is no logical meaning for the word “of” that indicates whether it refers to before or after the hour. So “a quarter of 7” could plausibly mean either 6:45 or 7:15, and there is no obvious semantic way to figure out which one is meant. Sure, but once you hear it and become accustomized it’s no big deal. Same with any language quirk I guess. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/62 "2015-11-05T21:41:51Z")
I’m sure that’s true. My problem is that I only run into the phrase very occasionally (in books or on TV), just often enough to remind me of how confusing it is, but not frequently enough for me to internalize which side of the hour it means. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/63 "2015-11-05T21:47:10Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Same. I never realized it was a regionalism. Is it? I grew up in Virginia, not New England. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/64 "2015-11-05T21:51:25Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > As someone born and raised in Hawaii, I had no idea that some people didn’t know how pineapples grow until I saw a post on social media expressing astonishment at a photo of a pineapple field. What is it with the sudden interest in pineapples? Yesterday my son told me that pineapples are the only plant of their type (he didn’t know what type it was) that people eat. My reply: Yeah it is the only edible bromeliad. I’ve been using that trivia for like two years now. Thanks for listening to me. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/65 "2015-11-05T22:01:48Z")
If you live in the U.S. or another first-world country, you should kiss the ground every morning and be thankful for the following: 1. Vaccines. 2. Modern dentistry. 3. Modern sanitation sewers. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/66 "2015-11-05T22:09:39Z")
It’s still hard for me to grasp that some people really don’t know geographical North (much less south, east, west) in the areas they’ve lived and worked in for years. “If you come out of your bank you’ll be on Main Street. Just head north about a block.” “Which way is that?” “North.” “I don’t know which way north is.” :smack: “I’ll meet you at my child’s school where he has been attending for the past 5 years.” “Okay, meet me at the south entrance.” “Which one is that?” “The one on the south side of the building.” “I don’t know which side is the south.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/67 "2015-11-05T22:12:10Z")
> [@IDtenT\_Error](#): > > It’s a strange usage even in western Canada. None of my relatives from there has ever called it that, and in fact, the last time I was visiting my uncle in Calgary, he had me look at some electrical problem in his basement, so I know damn well he didn’t call it “hydro” or I would have said some form of “WTF?” and he’d have had to explain. The only electrical company in BC is BC Hydro, which has been called that since 1961. So while people pay “the hydro bill” I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone refer to electricity itself as hydro unless it was coming from a dam. I’ve never heard of hydro towers either, though I would guess that one pretty fast. In my experience, the more common use of the word hydro in BC refers to hydroponics, a process where people grow plants in water. According to a bunch of liars I know, they mostly use it to grow tomatoes. I’ve never heard the expression “quarter of” before, so I learned something today, despite my best efforts. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/68 "2015-11-05T22:17:18Z")
I’m shocked when simple Bible references leaves people confused. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego getting thrown into the fire. Sampson chained to the temple pillar. Daniel in the lions den. all famous stories we learned in Sunday school at age 5 or 6. David and Goliath seems to be the Bible Story everybody knows. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/69 "2015-11-05T22:22:23Z")
That not everyone in the world went to aceplace57s’ Sunday school or any Sunday school at all. ---
**Author:** ![pidgeon92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@pidgeon92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pidgeon92)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/70 "2015-11-05T22:22:36Z")
Speaking of quarters, I had a friend who kept looking for a US bicentennial quarter that had her birth year (1969). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/71 "2015-11-05T22:32:49Z")
The woman who sits behind me at work had no idea who Samson & Delilah were. A sadly disturbing number of college-aged people seem never to have seen _Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles_ or _Monty Python and the Holy Grail._ What were their parents _thinking???_ ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/72 "2015-11-05T23:02:28Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > David and Goliath seems to be the Bible Story everybody knows. I can think of at least one other. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/73 "2015-11-05T23:12:44Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The woman who sits behind me at work had no idea who Samson & Delilah were. > > A sadly disturbing number of college-aged people seem never to have seen _Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles_ or _Monty Python and the Holy Grail._ What were their parents _thinking???_ Maybe they were thinking, “Well, just because I liked it doesn’t make it some sort of cultural absolute, and I’ll just let them develop their own tastes. After all, if my parents had done the same and made me watch 40 year old media when I’d been growing up, I’d have been rolling my eyes through being forced to sit through _Daredevils of the West_ and _Junior G-Men of the Air_ as some sort of hallowed cultural rite of passage”. Because that’s what I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/74 "2015-11-05T23:12:49Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > I can think of at least one other. The story of Joe the little retarded boy that learned the lesson of kindness by taking candy from strangers? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/75 "2015-11-05T23:21:46Z")
> [@jerseymule](#): > > There are people who believe that the US has more than 50 states (52 is the number I remember hearing) Or, you know, [57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws). No wait, he must think there are 60. Visited 57, has 1 left to go, and wasn’t allowed to visit 2. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/76 "2015-11-05T23:27:02Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I had no idea that so many people thought Denver was _in_ the mountains, and thus, buried in snow all winter. Denver is “The Mile High City” and Coors Field has a line of seats designating exactly where the mile-high point is. Seems like a pretty reasonable assumption to me. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/77 "2015-11-05T23:38:24Z")
I’ve been amazed at the number of smart, well-educated people who believe that in the real world dropped balls of the same size will fall at the same rate, regardless of their weight. They contend that Galileo proved this by dropping objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/78 "2015-11-06T00:13:11Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The woman who sits behind me at work had no idea who Samson & Delilah were. > > A sadly disturbing number of college-aged people seem never to have seen _Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles_ or _Monty Python and the Holy Grail._ What were their parents _thinking???_ My cousin came to visit me one day and brought her kids. I was absolutely appalled that the youngest, then five years old, had never heard of Bugs Bunny. I told her mother that was practically child abuse, and the little girl and I spent the next hour watching Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, and Elmer Fudd. Good times! FYI, she loved the cartoons, and I loved having an excuse to relive that part of my childhood. 😃 I also had to introduce them to _The Three Stooges_ at one point. At first, they all groaned about it being in black and white. I said to give it a little bit. It didn’t take long before they were all practically on the floor laughing. Slapstick humor is pretty much timeless. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/79 "2015-11-06T00:23:27Z")
I didn’t realize that others would actually think or expect that everyone should know everything judging by their condescending responses throughout internet forums everywhere as if other people are stupid for not knowing something specific about any particular thing. We are all ignorant of something, even mundane or “common” knowledge things…I mistakingly thought everyone was aware of that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696/80 "2015-11-06T01:12:03Z")
> [@HeXen](#): > > I didn’t realize that others would actually think or expect that everyone should know everything judging by their condescending responses throughout internet forums everywhere as if other people are stupid for not knowing something specific about any particular thing. We are all ignorant of something, even mundane or “common” knowledge things…I mistakingly thought everyone was aware of that fact. This is the internet; where would we be if we didn’t pretend our own tiny garden was the whole forest? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-know-that-it-never-occurred-to-you-others-wouldnt-know/736696.md?page=5)