# Very stupid overheard conversations **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858 "2020-11-30T21:44:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/101 "2020-12-08T17:29:03Z")
The disks we were using, as I pointed out in another post, were already double-sided, and the drive also wrote to both sides. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/102 "2020-12-08T19:08:03Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I think you zigged when you should’ve zagged. Looks like you just overheard a very stupid conversation. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/103 "2020-12-08T19:34:13Z")
I don’t know if this was an example of “stupidity”, more likely some kind of passive-aggressiveness, but one time at a fairly expensive but popular restaurant, my wife came back from a visit to the bathroom with a bemused look on her face. She’d been gone a for a while, which she explained as being due to there being a line to use the ladies’ room. As she approached the front of the line, she found that this situation was because (a) there were only two stalls in this rest room, and (b) one of the stalls was not being exited. She saw three people exit, enter, and exit the one stall while the other one remained occupied by whoever was in there (you could see the legs/feet). There were no overt sounds of gastric distress; whoever was in there was simply taking her sweet time. When her turn came to use the free stall, my wife finally heard something from that long-occupied adjacent stall: a cell phone ringing. And yes, it was answered, with the following one-sided conversation: “Hi, \. Yeah, that’s the right restaurant. … Yes, I’m here!.. Yeah, well _I’ve_ been here for at least fifteen minutes, too! … I don’t know why you can’t find me!” Before my wife thought to do what I would have done in her place - which would have been to summon up the ability to make a loud bowel movement or fart, or at least to flush - Other Stall Woman hung up her phone snippily, emerged from the stall, and bolted out of the bathroom. (No flush or hand washing was heard.) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/104 "2020-12-08T20:04:42Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So now when my wife picks me up at the airport, we meet at the arrivals area _It’s people like you what cause unrest!_ 😁 ---
**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:** [December 8, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/105 "2020-12-08T20:43:32Z")
One time I was at a restaurant and there was a group of young women in the booth on the other side of the restaurant having a rather loud, animated conversation. I wouldn’t really call what I overheard stupid, apart from not knowing or caring that the topic might not be appropriate to discuss very loudly in a public restaurant (to the point where I’m going to err on the side of caution and put the quote in spoiler tags due to its NFBSK nature). To this day, probably more than a decade later, I vividly remember overhearing from literally across the restaurant: “He had this thing called the orgasmatron, and it felt _so good_!” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/106 "2020-12-08T22:28:25Z")
I was flying into Anchorage one day. Two guys in the row behind me were talking. As we approached the runway, we passed Fire Island. [Fire Island (Anchorage, Alaska) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Island_(Anchorage,_Alaska)) It’s a small island a few miles from downtown. One guy said to the other, “that’s probably Kodiak Island.” Kodiak, in contrast, is quite large (second largest island in the US) and quite far from Anchorage, over 400 miles away. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/107 "2020-12-08T23:03:28Z")
That reminded me of another air travel related one. I was boarding a Continental Express regional jet at Houston Intercontinental. In those days at IAH some of the regional flights operated out of a ground-level concourse with no jet bridges; they had row of jets parked out on the apron, and you had to board a bus to be taken out to the plane. I overheard two businessmen complaining about the bus ride: Businessman 1: “I would have expected better service than this from Continental.” Businessman 2: “Yeah, well they’re in cahoots with Northwest on these flights.” Northwest did have a codeshare on that flight, but that really had nothing to do with the level of service on that flight – that was still entirely Continental (or their ExpressJet affiliate in this flight’s case). And in any case the airline doesn’t have much control over the facilities at the airport. IIRC the reason the regional flights boarded that was was due to insufficient gates. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/108 "2020-12-09T04:59:28Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > “He had this thing called the orgasmatron, and it felt _so good_ !” They may have been talking about the Woody Allen movie _Sleeper_ (1973), where there’s a device called an orgasmatron. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Isrd7E5nzIQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Sleeper - The Orgasmatron") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isrd7E5nzIQ) . ---
**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:** [December 9, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/109 "2020-12-09T17:33:52Z")
> I heard a comedy bit in the 70’s or so that “Bob Dylan was getting back together.” There was a lot of _very stupid conversations_ about band names back in the day (I blame it all on Jethro Tull, the 19th century British agriculturalist). People thought Lynyrd Skynyrd was a dude, assumed Darius Rucker was Hootie, and of course there was the record exec who asked Pink Floyd “Oh, by the way, which one’s Pink?” It continues to this day: Justin Vernon is not [Bon Iver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Iver), that’s his band (which gets complicated, as that changes from gig to gig). [Lord Huron](http://www.lordhuron.com/) isn’t a person (let alone the discoverer of Lake Huron, as I assumed). And [Greta Van Fleet](https://www.facebook.com/gretavanfleet/) is not another skinny emo-euro chanteuse… Oh, wow, Reddit has a [discussion on the topic](https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/8ien32/band_names_that_sound_like_one_person/) that includes this gem: “In a slightly odd variation, there has never been anybody called Marshall Tucker in the Marshall Tucker Band.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/110 "2020-12-09T18:05:15Z")
There was an electric blues/swing revival band I loved called [Little Charlie and the Nightcats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Charlie_%26_the_Nightcats). I used to go see them and laugh at the people who, looking at the band on stage, would point at Rick Estrin and say, “oh, look, there’s Little Charlie”. In reality, “Little Charlie” was the quiet, unassuming dude playing guitar, Charles Baty. Meanwhile, Rick Estrin strutted around in crazy outfits and was the lead singer. Over the years I bet I corrected a dozen people, saying, “nope, that guy in the corner is Little Charlie.” Here’s the band in 1990 at The Decade in Pittsburgh. I’m in the crowd. Video shot by Sasha Koledin, and old friend. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aLUk_s14D3E/hqdefault.jpg "Little Charlie n the Nightcats Decade 7 29 1990") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLUk_s14D3E) ---
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/111 "2020-12-09T18:17:26Z")
A while back the local pound shop (everything £1) was closing down, and had signs “75% off everything in this section” around the store One person to another “How much is that then?” “Dunno, 20p?” ---
**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:** [December 9, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/112 "2020-12-09T19:15:54Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > They may have been talking about the Woody Allen movie _Sleeper_ (1973), where there’s a device called an orgasmatron. It was pretty clear from the context of the rest of the conversation that she was talking about a personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/113 "2020-12-09T20:17:45Z")
You didn’t happen to get the name of the retail establishment that sells these, did you? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/114 "2020-12-10T00:08:39Z")
Guys, if you had a toy that you used to impress new-ish girlfriends, would you remember whatever sleazy name was on that long-ago discarded box? Neither would I. (Blurring in deference to @WildaBeast who started this line of discussion) But “orgasmatron” I could remember. Besides, if it’s any darn good, that’s exactly what it does. I suppose you could call it the Jumbotron. Or maybe that’s the real flesh-and-blood thing you have. 😉 Oh, and @WildaBeast what is NFBSK? I know what NSFW is, but this is a new one on me ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/115 "2020-12-10T00:09:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > And got ptomaine poisoning. Last night after dinner. ---
**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:** [December 10, 2020, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/116 "2020-12-10T04:13:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Oh, and @WildaBeast what is NFBSK? I know what NSFW is, but this is a new one on me It stands for “not for British school kids”. But it basically means something for mature/adult audiences only. It originated on another board I used to post to, I’m told in reference to some actual British school children who used to post there (but that was before my time). But it seems to have moved beyond that board and become general internet slang. Or at least I have seen people using it outside of that board so I assumed it had. It has at least become common enough to get its own Urban Dictionary entry. > **[Urban Dictionary: nfbsk](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nfbsk)** > > "Not For British School Kids" Uses: 1. In place of a swear word 2. Describing a topic that is obscene, disgusting, or in general "not for kids" Origin: Circa 1998 At the snopes.com message board, an obviously irate woman posted saying the other... ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/117 "2020-12-11T16:36:44Z")
Thank you. NSFW has been a staple here for decades but that was new to me. This is the only board I use and I don’t believe I’ve seen it here before your use. Search tells me we have two uses of N **S** FBK here over the years. And 28 uses of NFBSK, although mostly used as a swear word substitute, not as a topic descriptor. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/118 "2020-12-14T02:19:22Z")
On that same other board, I was fond of using that as a replacement for curse words, as in “Are you nfbsking kidding me?” ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/119 "2020-12-14T02:45:31Z")
During a visit to Walmart, I overheard a couple comparing two different grocery products. The woman pointed to whatever the man was holding, and asked “What’s the ounceage on that?” On second thought, that wasn’t so stupid. “Poundage” and “tonnage” are real words; perhaps “ounceage” deserves to be a word too. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858/120 "2020-12-14T03:19:38Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Couple sitting behind me on an Amtrak train as we passed an oil refinery in Martinez, CA: > Man: “I wonder what that place is?” > Woman: “It looks like an oil refinery.” > Man: “No, not in California.” > (Yes, there really are oil refineries in California, despite the stereotypes you may have heard about the state) And El Segundo is so-called because it was the second Standard Oil refinery on the west coast. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-stupid-overheard-conversations/926858.md?page=7)