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No matter how smart we think we are, no matter how many degrees we might have, everyone (everyone!) has at least one embarrassing knowledge blindspot. You might be like Ted Mosby from the hit TV show How I Met Your Mother who pronounces ‘chameleon’ with the ‘ch’ like in ‘chocolate’ and the ‘leon’ part like the name Leon.

Or you might be like comedy writer Ariane Sherine who used to think that pigs would snuff out chocolate truffles from the ground like they do normal truffles. When Ariane shared this fun fact on the internet and added that one of her friends thought that Colonel Sanders’ bow on the KFC logo was a stickman body (we can’t unsee it now, by the way), she sparked an amusing thread about the most embarrassing misunderstandings that people have had. Scroll down, upvote your faves, and share your own embarrassing blindspots in the comments below! I’ll get the ball rolling by saying that I keep forgetting that New Zealand is to the Southeast of Australia—in my mind, it’s always to the Southwest! Whoops! Sorry, Kiwis.

"I share a lot of the knowledge blindspots other people have confessed to. For example, when I was young, I also thought the word ‘misled’ was pronounced ‘mizzled!’ And I’m sure I’m also guilty of hundreds of misunderstandings I can’t remember now," Ariane told Bored Panda. "I think that’s why the thread was so popular—everyone can identify with the idea of an embarrassing misunderstanding! Can’t help you with Colonel Sanders though—I fear that image is seared into your brain forever..." Scroll down for the rest of our interview with Ariane.

More info: ArianeSherine.co.uk | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

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"I think some people think they’ll lose face if they admit to not knowing things. But no one can know everything! Having gaps in your knowledge is just a natural part of being human. And sometimes, as the thread proves, those gaps can be amusing!"

Ariane also revealed to Bored Panda what she's been up to during the Covid-19 quarantine. "I’ve been working on a really fun book for ages 8-12 set during the coronavirus lockdown. Unfortunately though, my agent has stopped work during lockdown, so if any children’s fiction publishers would like to read the manuscript, please hit me up! I’ve also been proofreading my next book, called How to Live to 100. It’s a funny health science book which tells you how to live a long and healthy life, and is out on October 1," she said.

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Vanta Black
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd be willing to bet most of us have had this thought at one point or another.

Dirk Hoekstra
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I asked my dad once as a kid, how they use gorrillas for warfare.

Michelle C
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LMAO....I thought they were gorillas fighting each other and used to wonder why is this news (without watching the news) and who is naming them and teaching them to use guns....ahhhhhhh, I miss pot

Porto DaMartinica
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

[...]I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target[...] one the internet's oldest and best copy-pastas of all time

Elida Lechuga
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup, me too. I always heard it as gorilla warfare. When I finally figured out what they were saying I wondered why people can't just pronounce it the correct way (with a Spanish pronunciation).

lara
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Years ago Mad Magazine had "illustrations" of things being said on the news. The one I remember was "Gorillas on the Plains of Jars." It was actually "guerillas on the "Plains of Jars" but it was illustrated with gorillas running over mason jars. That was about 1963 or so.

glowworm2
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There was a children's book called "A Chocolate Moose For Dinner" written by the late actor Fred Gwynne (AKA, Herman Munster) in which a child takes all the things her parents say around her literally. One of them featured a literal"Gorilla War" with Gorillas wearing army helmets and holding weapons.

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Grace Note
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a trailer for the planet of the apes TV show and thought it was the news. Spent a long time fearing the imminent arrival of the ape army. These days I'd be welcoming them with open arms.

Katie and Jared Coates
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was confused about this too for a bit when I was young. I thought it was how British people said it or something (between Clayton in Tarzan and the British in The Patriot..)

Bettye McKee
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's because children take things literally based on their current knowledge. Kids are more familiar with gorillas than with guerrillas.

SciFi Vortex
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The army WAS fighting "primates". Humans ARE primates. Subspecies, "apes". Ape type: "homo sapien". One of the "four great apes" Do a bit of Googling and find out what "kind" of animal you are. Homo Sapiens. Apparently one of the most intelligent species on Earth, yet most of them (mostly in the U.S) don't know what "kind" of animal they are. I'll forgive a Poodle not knowing it's a "dog" or a pigeon" not knowing it's a "bird" or a "shark" not knowing it's a "fish" but a homo sapien/human not knowing it's a primate/ape ... Embarrassing.

Leslie Burleson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same ! Lol. I was like 7 years old and they were showing dead people in the news . I asked my parents what happened and they said "guerilla warfare". I thought to myself "why are gorillas killing people "

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39-year-old Ariane has many talents besides her talent with the quill: she’s also a comedian, campaigner, and a songwriter. But she’s best known for her writing skills. If you’re a fan of British TV, then you’ve probably enjoyed some of her work without even knowing it. She’s written scripts for BBC shows like My Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, The Story of Tracy Beaker, and Space Pirates, ITV1’s The New Worst Witch, and jokes for Channel 4’s Countdown.

She’s incredibly energetic and also a regular on TV and radio programs like BBC Breakfast, Sunday Morning Live, The One Show, Victoria Derbyshire, iPM, Woman’s Hour, Sunday, and Night Waves.

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Ariane’s a seasoned journalist, too. She has written over 90 columns for The Guardian and The Spectator, a few travel pieces for The Sunday Times, book reviews for The Observer, album reviews for NME, and features for The Independent, Independent on Sunday, and Esquire. That’s the sort of experience that any journalist would be glad to add to their CV.

So if someone as talented and hard-working as Ariane can talk about her embarrassing misunderstandings openly, there’s no reason for us to hide our own knowledge blindspots. Don’t you think so, dear Pandas?

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