What is ‘obvious’ to you and me might not be clear to someone else. And vice versa! Common sense isn’t all that common. Not to mention that all of us, no matter our education, have gaps in our knowledge that we’re not aware of. It takes quite a bit of guts and tons of humility to admit that.

Members of the r/AskReddit online community recently opened up about the ‘really obvious’ things they only just realized. Scroll down for a good laugh, as well as a reminder that we’re not so different when it comes to our info blindspots, after all.

#1

How the American bail system works.

I thought it was a sum of money you paid to avoid jail. I was surprised when I realized you get the money BACK if you show up for your trial.

Image credits: Electronic-Pool-7458

#2

My mom was doing her best.

#3

I should have been twisting the bottom of my deodorant to push the plastic cover out instead of using my teeth.

Image credits: Mysterious_Ad9307

Most of us want to be accepted and respected by our family and friends, as well as coworkers and strangers alike. Like it or not, social connections and reputation matter to lots of people. Naturally, this means that some folks want to present themselves in the best possible light. That means showing off their best qualities while subtly hiding the worst ones.

For many people, losing their social standing and being publicly humiliated is one of the most horrible things that can happen to them. That’s why they obsess so much about projecting power and authority and avoid behaviors that can make them look weak… like admitting that they don’t know something about a subject many others do.

#4

I was like 25 when I found out the jugs of washer fluid outside the gas station aren’t free. I was walking out of the gas station with a buddy one day, grabbed a jug of washer fluid, and he asked me “did you just steal that?” And I was like “No, dude, it’s free”. It’s not, I stole washer fluid for nearly ten years of driving and no one ever said anything to me about it.

Image credits: BruceWang19

#5

Not me, but my 21yo cousin just realized he is mildly allergic to peanut butter, and has been his whole life.

Up until now, he had assumed EVERYONE’S throat closed up a little while eating a pb&j sandwich, but they just fought through it.

Image credits: itisverboten

#6

I recently realized that “Howdy” is short for “How do you do?”

I actually just googled it, and it’s technically short for “How do ye?” However, my realization still makes sense.

The problem with wanting to be seen as ‘perfect’ at all times is that it’s utterly unsustainable. Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have a lot to learn about the world, even if we have a few fancy degrees under our belts.

However, how we react to our mistakes and ignorance says a lot about who we are, how we approach learning, and whether we have a growth-oriented mindset. Admitting that we’ve been wrong about something and owning up to our knowledge gaps can be embarrassing. If you deny that you’ve been wrong, you’ll only push people away from you. On the other hand, when you embrace your embarrassment and admit to having been wrong, you paradoxically draw people in. Your humility makes you seem more human.

#7

When I was a kid I thought it was ultra violent light instead of ultraviolet light. As in, that sun can really f**k up your skin if you don’t wear sunscreen. Bahahaha! So violent.

Image credits: AmaryllisBulb

#8

My car key remote isn’t broken, the battery died after nearly 10 years.

Image credits: MykeCecc

#9

That cows have to get pregnant before they can make milk.

Image credits: burgerbob272

Even though there’s absolutely no way to learn everything there is to know about the world, we can do our best to fill in our knowledge gaps as we become aware of them.

For instance, if you suddenly realize that you thought that reindeer were mythical creatures, you could do some research about the animal. Read up on them online. Go to your local library for some more resources. Visit a wildlife sanctuary and see them with your own two eyes.

#10

I was 50. FIFTY F*****G YEARS OLD, when I learned that bats are not, in fact, blind. Evidently, I’m an idiot.

So, if being oblivious to something so basic for literally half a century counts: yeah, that.

Image credits: Eclectophile

#11

That Loch – as in Loch Ness – is the Gaelic word for lake.

Image credits: Catsacademy

#12

In high school science class we were watching a video and it was then that I realized Reindeer are, in fact, real creatures and not just mythical beings for the purpose of pulling Santa’s sled.

Image credits: MoneyCost7188

Similarly, if you suddenly realize that you’ve been oblivious about saving and investing, there’s no time like the present to brush up on your knowledge and start your journey toward financial independence. Of course, you’re bound to have some regrets about not knowing something earlier. However, the best time to correct your mistakes is the present. And if you’re cringing about the person you were in the past, it only means that you’ve grown!

For some more ‘obvious’ knowledge gaps that folks only realized they had later in life, take a peek at Bored Panda’s earlier post.

#13

My sister learned recently that when you’re at the grocery store and opening the egg carton that you’re checking for cracked eggs and not just making sure that they are in fact eggs in the carton.

Image credits: everett640

#14

A pickle is a cucumber that’s been pickled.

Image credits: chim800

#15

Don’t judge me. About a year ago I realized “salmon colored” means the inside of the salmon. I was always so confused because salmon are not pink on the outside.

Image credits: No_Light_8871

#16

Last year I realized that when you sign your “initials” they are called that because they are the first letters, i.e. the initial letters, of your name.

#17

Sheep are not female goats.

Image credits: Significant_Anteater

#18

To fill the ice tray, you use DRINKABLE water. I don´t know why I never made that connection. My family has been drinking tap water ice cubes for 15 years (for clarification, this is in México city where you should not drink the tap water).

Image credits: Sexy-Guanabana

#19

Slim Shady and Eminem are the same person ?

Image credits: Red_Android

#20

I can’t eat any type of nut. It messes with my stomach lining. I genuinely thought nuts just made everyone sick after eating them. Like salsa. Edit: I’ve discovered something about salsa today.

Image credits: h3lls1ng3r

#21

I grew up in Poland. When a person was arrested on a crime that was publicized, the media will only list their first name and the first initial of last name, to protect their identity before conviction, e.g. Peter G. My friend thought that all criminals had one letter last names and he was surprised the police wouldn’t just go all Minority Report on them and arrest all people with one letter last names.

Image credits: Blimunda

#22

I feel so dumb for this but I just learned that ‘Rainbow Baby’ is a mother’s next baby after having a miscarriage. I just assumed it was a term of endearment for a queer baby. I know. I know. ??‍♀️

Image credits: Advanced-Win8418

#23

I’m not “quirky”, I have ADHD. I’m in my 50s.

Image credits: sudomatrix

#24

I didn’t know there are two little bumps on the F and J keys so your hands know where to center while typing. I only learned this when my kids wanted to try typing and it’s the first lesson!

Image credits: YosemiteDaisy

#25

This past weekend, that the girl that invited me to an after party at her place and then asked for me to crash in her bed was not simply just being nice, I am f*****g stupid.

#26

Water towers are for water pressure, not just a town putting its name on a tank and saying “Hey look how much dang water WE have.”

Image credits: agreeswithfishpal

#27

I was at least 50 when I learned that the little piggy who went to market wasn’t shopping.

#28

That the best time to start saving for my future really was all those years ago.

Image credits: eggmayonnaise

#29

Learned I was allergic to latex from talking to my friend. She told me that since I’m allergic to some citrus I may be allergic to latex and asked me if condoms bothered me. I responded and said yes but they bother everyone who uses them.

That’s how I learned that burning and itching and a road rash are not normal after coitus with a condom. ? (I’m 26).

#30

I used to think that clapper thing in movies was to get the actors’ attention. Not for editing.

Image credits: rattlestaway

#31

That the sound of a snap is your finger hitting your hand, not rubbing off your thumb.

Image credits: ProfessionalYear9265

#32

I was an adult before I realized “happy birthday to you, and many mooooore” at the end of the Happy Birthday song meant many more happy birthdays and not other people whose birthday is today.

#33

I am 27yo and just realized libraries are free!

#34

When I was 15 I realized rice isn’t pasta chopped in small pieces.

Image credits: Auguw

#35

I was 39 when I realised the pointy bit on a the lid of a tube of something, for example tomato puree.. Was for braking the foil seal. For years I used a fork to break the seal until I watched someone remove the lid , turn it around and place it over the seal. Mind blown.

#36

Probably a fairly obvious one but 50/50 raffles. 50% goes to whoever runs it, winner gets the other 50% ?‍♂️

#37

I just found out yesterday that I have aphantasia, meaning I can’t visualize images in my mind. When I think about an object I just know that I’m thinking about it, but I don’t see anything when I close my eyes.

#38

The word “bed” actually looks like a bed.

#39

I had lived for far too long when I learned that cars have an arrow beside the gas gauge to tell you which side the filler cap is on.

#40

When cartoons have a character say “i’m ok!!” after ANYTHING, it’s so they don’t get into trouble with the network.

#41

I should take this to the grave but somehow thought Mickey Mouse was a dog until I was 17 (I’m 24 now) one day I just saw a Mickey Mouse somewhere and went “Why does he have such a skinny little tail??? It looks like a ra-…..wait….”

Image credits: Extra_Complaint_2208

#42

The numbers on the toaster dial are not “power levels”; instead, it is the cooking time in minutes. Blew my mind.

Image credits: imjmo

#43

It took me way too long to realize that you could just not answer a question. I always felt the need to either tell what I know or lie. As I got older lies felt tedious so if you asked me you would probably get (my version of) the truth. Sometimes this would lead to ugly truths being told. After watching politicians and actually paying attention to what they say I realized you never HAVE to answer the question that was asked of you. Listen to any reporter interview any politician. The reporter will ask a question, then the politician will just start talking about whatever they want to talk about. If they’re nice they will start with the question and lean into what they want to say. This isn’t a polite thing to do though so I wouldn’t recommend doing it to anyone you care about.

#44

I’m 50 ish. For the last couple years I kept feeling that I’m getting close to retirement and I’m only going to have a few years to do what I want… Then I realized I could only be halfway there! What if I live till I’m 90? That’s 40 more years! I have time to do absolutely anything I want to! It was just this crazy sort of epiphany that went you’re looking at this all wrong! Life isn’t over at 60 or 65, you still have a lot of time!

#45

The “Mad” in “Mad Men” meant “Madison Avenue.”

#46

Swedish Meatballs – always thought they were Sweet-ish Meatballs. Could never figure out the Ikea connection…

Image credits: Here_4_the_INFO

#47

That the phrase mint condition means like new because it’s the condition coins leave the mint in.

#48

That sign you see near schools with the two people crossing holding books? I was stuck in traffic a few weeks ago and suddenly realized it wasn’t two women with purses.

Image credits: JumboDakotaSmoke

#49

I know “felix” is the Latin word for “happy,” but only recently did I discover the name Felix is also known to mean “lucky.”

Now I’m getting the irony of naming a *black cat* “Felix the Cat.”

(For those who don’t know, Felix is an old cartoon, and there’s a superstition that a black cat crossing your path is very *un*lucky.)

#50

In the song “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper, the line “We’ve got no class, and we’ve got no principals (principles)” is a play on words. Both of those phrases mean we’re uncivilized and lack values and discipline that we would’ve learned going to school.

I didn’t pick up on that when I was 6, and I never thought about the lyrics on a deeper level because it was always one of those songs that was just on in the background for me. Only noticed it last year, and I’m 31.

#51

A while back I realized that “airport” is exactly what it says it is. It is a port. For the air.

#52

I am 19 and I have had ADHD and a sleeping disorder my whole life. I decided to go to the doctor and figure out wtf was wrong with me after I turned 18. Turned out I wasn’t stupid just undiagnosed going without meds. So now just about every adult looks at me like a lazy bum that fell asleep in every class and couldn’t pay attention or understand assignments. When I got on meds (senior year) I was #16 of my class in the top 20%.

#53

Ray Ban is not an actual person.

#54

I was Well into my late 40s when someone pointed out to me what apparently everyone else knows… Arby’s is phonetically saying R.B. aka…Roast Beef They serve roast beef, the name is RB (Arby) Never made the connection.

#55

That chameleons don’t actually change colour to a whole new colour they can only change shade and intensity of the base colour they actually are.

#56

That the name ‘Circle K’, gas stations all over the US, is just another way to say OK.

They’re OK gas stations.

#57

That the drummer for Nirvana really was Dave Grohl, and not just a guy that looks really similar.

#58

That sometimes things are just the way they are, you can’t change the situation you’re in, only your actions and your emotions and how you react to them.
I guess I realized that certain situations sometimes feel unfair or are not favourable to your needs and you have to find happiness in the best way you can and live your life. Sometimes you gotta make sacrificies because that’s the only option.

#59

Colonoscopies aren’t just for looking for cancer and other issues. It’s preventative for cancer because they remove the polyps where it starts. I’m pretty up on medical stuff, didn’t know that.

#60

I was brought up poor, I just realized that I didn’t have to wear clothes until they were worn out or too small.

#61

When putting flannel sheets on a bed, Put the top sheet on facing down. It doesn’t look as nice but it is cozy as f**k. Plus, the other blankets cover it up anyway. Don’t know if I’m the first guy to this party or the last, but I love that I figured it out.

#62

I used to always think “Est.” Next to years on buildings and other things meant “estimated” and not “established” lol

#63

I only realized recently, at 40 years old, that a “fortnight” is called that because it’s like “fourteen nights”…

I think because I always remembered it as two weeks, and not 14 days.

#64

I am not responsible for other people’s lives. Feels a little better accepting that I don’t have to stress too much over supporting my family. I shouldn’t feel too overwhelmed to the point of having suicidal ideations just from the stress alone. Edit : No, I don’t have kids. I’m single, been supporting my family (parents, siblings) for 10 years.

#65

There is a local plumbing company call “Abacus” with a tag line “you can count on us”. After 20 years I realized their logo was an abacus.

#66

It is a wheelbarrow and not a wheelbarrel. Came as a huge surprise.

#67

I’m Norwegian, and was at least thirty before I realized that the tomatoes crossing the road schoolyard joke (two tomatoes cross the road, one gets run over, the other says “Come on, catch up”) has, in what I assume is the original English, a punchline. Well, for a schoolyard joke, anyway.

Norwegian kids tell the same joke, but there’s no catch up/ketchup pun in Norwegian, so they just tell a joke where the squashed tomato is now ketchup. At some point a kid who knew enough English to have heard the joke but not enough for the pun told it to younger kids, who assumed it was funny because an older kid was telling it, and it has been repeated between children for generations.

#68

Living in the suburbs, it took me until high school to realize that double parking wasn’t taking up two parking spaces. 

#69

That an “Amber Alert” was named after a child and not the colour of amber. (I thought it was like a code red or code blue type of thing)

#70

In the song ‘I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause’ it’s the husband dressed up as Santa and kissing his wife. Mommy is not having an affair with Santa.

#71

Not everyone keeps their tongue touched to upper pad naturally.It’s called mewing I just learned about it ?

#72

It’s called a “funny bone” bc it’s a humerus.

#73

You dice food by cutting it into little cubes: about the size of dice.

#74

It’s “sherbet”, not “sherbert”. I’m 56.

#75

It’s called a “windshield” because it shields you from the wind.

#76

That the opposite of a aboard is all ashore, learned this yesterday and I was surprised.

#77

I learned where “Pulling out all the stops” came from a couple of years ago (watching a documentary on Interstellar’s music).

It’s from playing organs…air is blown thru the organ’s pipes to play notes – and you have “stops” in there if you don’t want a particular pipe to play. So when you pull out all the stops, you get all the pipes playing…

#78

A banana split is called a banana split because you get one banana that’s split down the middle! ??‍♀️ Never thought of that until my husband was certain you get 2 whole bananas.

#79

That the hunter in Jumanji is also the dad.

#80

Frigidaire the refrigerator company?

“Frigid air!” Blew my mind.

#81

That Hill Street Blues was named for the uniforms, not for how down in the dumps they got about crime.

#82

My wife and I are both in our 50’s. She told me recently that she just realized the song Black Velvet, by Allanah Myles, is about Elvis. 

#83

I’ve been a Weird Al fan for my entire life. I’ve listen to I Want A New Duck endless times for decades. Only recently did it occur to me when he says “And show me how to get down…. GET IT?” he is referring to down feathers.

#84

Heard this on a podcast yesterday, Fes from that 70s show, FES= foreign exchange student.

#85

TMZ’s name came from The Thirty Mile Zone. it’s a thirty-mile radius from the center of Los Angeles. Outside of this particular zone, producers must pay transportation costs to cast and crew.

#86

I was in my late thirties when it occurred to me that “for attention” is a perfectly valid motivation for people to do things. Which led to the realization that attention is a form of social currency. At that point I wished somebody had explained this truly basic thing to me when I was young and single.

#87

In my 30s I finally realized the Bon Jovi lyrics “on a steel horse I ride” was a motorcycle. ??‍♀️