What did you discover relatively late on in life that everyone else had known for years?

How come it's taken me till today to find this thread! I'm learning loads but too ashamed to admit.....
I thought gladly my cross I'd bear
in the hymn was a teddy bear called "gladly" who was unfortunately, cross-eyed.
The petrol icon = very recent
I worked for a year in the invoice office of a big dept store but never knew what an invoice was. My job was handwriting all the envelopes. I was 15.

I've just found out, thanks to YouTube, that George Formby had some material banned by the BBC for being too suggestive! e.g. "my little stick of Blackpool rock"! and others' In my innocence all that went over my head, but despite that, he was a great entertainer; he would have had a ball with today's more tolerant audiences.

I was in senior school before I learned I was a human being not a human bean
Ninarosa, that takes the prize, absolutely brilliant!

I was in senior school before I learned I was a human being not a human bean ( honest ! ).
That for sixty odd years I have been pronouncing pumice stone all wrong . I've said pumice as in puma. Just been nicely corrected by a total stranger that it's pum as in tum.

MOnica I always used to make Steak and Kidney Pud (my DH winter favoutite) with SR Flour from a recipe in a very old cookery book. Haven't mde it for over 25 years now.

I thought the expression, 'Evil Genius' referred to a clever person (genius) who had turned bad.

Genius - is from genie, djinn or the guardian spirit of something or somewhere.

Gives it a whole new meaning when you know that. One of my 'duh' moments

Ja18 thanks!!
I never knew that, we have avoided putting out bird feed since we saw a rat chomping his way through.

Oh yes there is a Father Christmas! Or who is that walking across our roof on Christmas Eve???

I also thought for years that Richmal Crompton was a man, and I was a teenager before I discovered Enid Blyton was a woman. The names Richmal and Enid were unfamiliar to me.

I remember my parents explaining ‘without a city wall’.

I didn’t know I could keep rats and mice out of my house,
and away from the bird feeder with chilli spray or powder. It doesn’t affect birds. I wish someone had told me years ago!
My chef friend was amazed I didn’t know!

Callistemon - It was much earlier this year. Sadly I'm not in New Zealand currently. Nice thought however!

I only learned last year that there is a needle holder inside every reel of thread. If you look there is a double end and a single end, the double end pulls off so that you can store needles inside (not that I ever would!)

grandMattie Essentially Thannington Without' is Thannington Just Outside the City Wall.

We used to live mear Wokingham, and if you lived in Wokingham Without, locals used to grumble that it meant being without the services the people of Wokingham took for granted, like mains drainage, gas or street lights.

That the suet crust for steak and kidney pudding is made with plain flour, not self raising ,as you use for dumplings.

And I’ve just discovered Richmal Crompton-you know Just William?- is a woman! Well!! DH thought she was a man too?

That if I press my car key too many times, the windows open. I had taken it in twice to be mended before, under warranty, because I swore the windows had a mind of their own and opened by themselves during the night!

Interesting Newquay didn't know that.
Chestnut so funny - submarine!

Just outside Canterbury there is a small town called Thannington Without. Without what?

I only realised about 10 years ago that people who lived in flats above shops had their own entrance! I honestly believed they must be really trusted by the shop keeper to be able to go through the shop any time day or night ?

I wondered for years where “Plicity” was and why mice went there. THEN read the hymn “ Pity my simplicity”

Perhaps so Shysal!

I'm so shocked I can barely speak, MawB

It is definitely correct, btw, named Shaun after being accidentally shorn by Wallace's automated sheep shearing machine.

What do you mean there’s no Santa Claus? ?

Shorn/Shaun

It sounds very similar to me
Yes, that's why helenonotion

I hope it wasn't that recently, poor Shaun will be getting cold, unless you live in New Zealand!