20 Times People Learned Something Late In Life, As Shared In this Online Group (New Answers)
Well, sometimes we learn some things a little late in life.
No matter how much worldly knowledge you've gathered, there are always some things that you might have missed. Sometimes, it's embarrassing to admit that you missed something so simple and casual that even kids would know. However, there is nothing wrong with admitting that you don't know something as it's never too late to learn.
There are many Reddit threads in which people have shared the things that they learned embarrassingly late in life. We have collected some of those answers here today. Scroll below to read them. And if you want more, check out our previous posts here and here.
Image source: demolitiondubz, Houcine Ncib
My dad once told me that the word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary. 18 years later, I got the joke.
Image source: patinaYouUgly, Henry Söderlund
As a kid my uncle would play this joke where he would put his hand on your head and make like a jellyfish squeezing your head a little, and say “this is a brainsucker, know what it’s doing? Starving!”
I would always laugh but did not get it until I was like 25
Image source: [deleted], Tim Wildsmith
I always thought that if a guy didn't hold his penis while he was peeing, that it would whip around like a fire hose.
Image source: sfw8580, Etienne Girardet
Fruit Loops are all the same flavor. I was 27, and I still remember the shock of finding out Toucan Sam had been lying to me my whole life.
Image source: [deleted], Keren Fedida
I thought orgasm was a nice word for fart when I was 10. Told my mom I had so many orgasms that my stomach hurt.
Image source: Hugh_manateerian, RODNAE Productions
I didn’t know how to write in print until my first year of college. Up to that point, I only learned cursive, and my teachers were so happy that someone willingly used cursive that they just went along with it.
Image source: Sparky62075, Ganapathy Kumar
At seven years old, I realized that the moon is not the back of the sun.
A few years later, it turns out that no matter how good you are to your cat, it doesn't grow up to be a dog.
Image source: The_Patriot, Fredrik Rubensson
the end pieces of a loaf of bread keep the bread fresher, longer, so you should not eat them until the very end of the loaf.
This I learned at 52.
Image source: livid54, YUSUF ARSLAN
I don't know why but whenever someone mentioned that a piece of furniture (or often the dashboard of a nice car) was walnut, I kind of thought they meant the nut and shells all crushed up and smoothened and I wondered how they did it. Then, in my thirties, I realised they probably make it from the tree. Felt like a right walnut that day.
Image source: Feels2old, thom masat
that I couldn't drink my problems away and that drinking was the problem.
4 years sober
Image source: the_meat_n_potatoes, Christian Bowen
The meaning of birthday suit. I was 26 at the time.
Image source: BetsyPeachBucket, Ujesh Krishnan
That the delete key on the keyboard deletes to the right of the cursor. Backspace deletes to the left and I would always move the cursor to hit backspace instead of just hitting delete.
Image source: um8medoit, Chris-McKee
I was deep into my teens when I realized it’s “make ends meet” instead of “make end’s meat”. I always visualized it as procuring the last bit of food you could in tough times. Wrong!
Image source: The_e-Detective, Sung Jin Cho
That the opposite sex does not owe me anything for my kindness.
Image source: [deleted], Lottie Corin
Tasmanian devils are not made up by Looney Tunes
Image source: Trugem6, Helena Jacoba
Until i was 19 and away at college i did not know that milk curdles or bread molded. I grew up in a family of 8 and we went through that stuff so fast.
Image source: bangersnmash13, Anna Shvets
It took me 10 years and $20,000 to figure out how credit cards were supposed to be used.
Image source: T33n_T1t4n5, Serena Repice Lentini
Octopuses have BEAKS
Edit: OK NERDS "OCTOPI" ISN'T THE ONLY TECHNICALLY CORRECT TERM AND I'M NOT CHANGING IT.
Image source: greenoctopusink, JESHOOTS.com
Oh this question was meant for me.
I was 16 years old when I learned “flooriting” was not a word.
I grew up watching a LOT of SpongeBob and it was my favorite show. In the show, SpongeBob always fails his driving test because he will always “floor it” instead of driving slowly. When I was little I thought that “floorit” was a single word that meant to go fast and always assumed that someone could be “flooriting” or going very fast.
Fast forward to driving school. I’m in the car with the instructor and another student. I’m driving slowly on the highway and someone aggressively passes me. I made some nervous comment like “man, he’s really flooriting!” And the car just gets really quiet for a second. Then the other student in the car goes, “flooriting? What?”
And that’s when I realized. It all crashed down on me at once. FLOOR IT. It was two different words. It meant putting the gas pedal on the floor. I was shook. I kinda gasped and couldn’t even respond because I was overwhelmed.
It’s been 8 years and I still have never had such a strong, sudden realization of anything. And secretly I still kinda use “flooriting” in my head sometimes.
Image source: CGY-SS, Tim Green
An old co worker was 21 or 22 when he discovered that Ponies aren't just juvenile horses, but like another thing entirely. He spent an entire day walking up to anyone he could find going "Hey did you know" it was hilarious.
#1
Image source: demolitiondubz, Houcine Ncib
My dad once told me that the word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary. 18 years later, I got the joke.
#2
Image source: patinaYouUgly, Henry Söderlund
As a kid my uncle would play this joke where he would put his hand on your head and make like a jellyfish squeezing your head a little, and say “this is a brainsucker, know what it’s doing? Starving!”
I would always laugh but did not get it until I was like 25
#3
Image source: [deleted], Tim Wildsmith
I always thought that if a guy didn't hold his penis while he was peeing, that it would whip around like a fire hose.
#4
Image source: sfw8580, Etienne Girardet
Fruit Loops are all the same flavor. I was 27, and I still remember the shock of finding out Toucan Sam had been lying to me my whole life.
#5
Image source: [deleted], Keren Fedida
I thought orgasm was a nice word for fart when I was 10. Told my mom I had so many orgasms that my stomach hurt.
#6
Image source: Hugh_manateerian, RODNAE Productions
I didn’t know how to write in print until my first year of college. Up to that point, I only learned cursive, and my teachers were so happy that someone willingly used cursive that they just went along with it.
#7
Image source: Sparky62075, Ganapathy Kumar
At seven years old, I realized that the moon is not the back of the sun.
A few years later, it turns out that no matter how good you are to your cat, it doesn't grow up to be a dog.
#8
Image source: The_Patriot, Fredrik Rubensson
the end pieces of a loaf of bread keep the bread fresher, longer, so you should not eat them until the very end of the loaf.
This I learned at 52.
#9
Image source: livid54, YUSUF ARSLAN
I don't know why but whenever someone mentioned that a piece of furniture (or often the dashboard of a nice car) was walnut, I kind of thought they meant the nut and shells all crushed up and smoothened and I wondered how they did it. Then, in my thirties, I realised they probably make it from the tree. Felt like a right walnut that day.
#10
Image source: Feels2old, thom masat
that I couldn't drink my problems away and that drinking was the problem.
4 years sober
#11
Image source: the_meat_n_potatoes, Christian Bowen
The meaning of birthday suit. I was 26 at the time.
#12
Image source: BetsyPeachBucket, Ujesh Krishnan
That the delete key on the keyboard deletes to the right of the cursor. Backspace deletes to the left and I would always move the cursor to hit backspace instead of just hitting delete.
#13
Image source: um8medoit, Chris-McKee
I was deep into my teens when I realized it’s “make ends meet” instead of “make end’s meat”. I always visualized it as procuring the last bit of food you could in tough times. Wrong!
#14
Image source: The_e-Detective, Sung Jin Cho
That the opposite sex does not owe me anything for my kindness.
#15
Image source: [deleted], Lottie Corin
Tasmanian devils are not made up by Looney Tunes
#16
Image source: Trugem6, Helena Jacoba
Until i was 19 and away at college i did not know that milk curdles or bread molded. I grew up in a family of 8 and we went through that stuff so fast.
#17
Image source: bangersnmash13, Anna Shvets
It took me 10 years and $20,000 to figure out how credit cards were supposed to be used.
#18
Image source: T33n_T1t4n5, Serena Repice Lentini
Octopuses have BEAKS
Edit: OK NERDS "OCTOPI" ISN'T THE ONLY TECHNICALLY CORRECT TERM AND I'M NOT CHANGING IT.
#19
Image source: greenoctopusink, JESHOOTS.com
Oh this question was meant for me.
I was 16 years old when I learned “flooriting” was not a word.
I grew up watching a LOT of SpongeBob and it was my favorite show. In the show, SpongeBob always fails his driving test because he will always “floor it” instead of driving slowly. When I was little I thought that “floorit” was a single word that meant to go fast and always assumed that someone could be “flooriting” or going very fast.
Fast forward to driving school. I’m in the car with the instructor and another student. I’m driving slowly on the highway and someone aggressively passes me. I made some nervous comment like “man, he’s really flooriting!” And the car just gets really quiet for a second. Then the other student in the car goes, “flooriting? What?”
And that’s when I realized. It all crashed down on me at once. FLOOR IT. It was two different words. It meant putting the gas pedal on the floor. I was shook. I kinda gasped and couldn’t even respond because I was overwhelmed.
It’s been 8 years and I still have never had such a strong, sudden realization of anything. And secretly I still kinda use “flooriting” in my head sometimes.
#20
Image source: CGY-SS, Tim Green
An old co worker was 21 or 22 when he discovered that Ponies aren't just juvenile horses, but like another thing entirely. He spent an entire day walking up to anyone he could find going "Hey did you know" it was hilarious.DE
Written by
Demilked Editorial
SaaS Review Specialist · Demilked
With 5+ years in the creator, entertainment, and publishing spaces, Demilked shortlists, reviews, and ranks leading tools that actually make your life easier.