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Things you can't believe people have never heard of

(335 Posts)
Biscuitmuncher Fri 26-Mar-21 21:08:14

Well my children are in their early twenties and I was talking about the big ship stuck in the Suez Canal. To which they all said "The what!" I just can't believe they've never heard of it

MerylStreep Sat 27-Mar-21 17:16:18

Bloody ‘doggers’ have ruined a local nature reserve for those of us who want spent the night ( or 2) in our motohomes.

EllanVannin Sat 27-Mar-21 17:23:50

So many of our old words and phrases have double entendre's now that you have to think before you say anything.
I've no idea about the pearls though and haven't dared google.

kircubbin2000 Sat 27-Mar-21 17:41:57

Another friend,quite Christian,no nonsense type lady,ofter refers to annoying people as 'silly twats'. Should I tell her?

grandmajet Sat 27-Mar-21 18:04:12

Oh dear! I’d tell her, she may say it in front of someone who is shocked.

TerriBull Sat 27-Mar-21 18:08:41

I know someone, a woman in her 50s who had never heard of Suffragettes shock

I also heard someone say once, "so Catholics, they aren't Christians are they?"

welbeck Sat 27-Mar-21 18:10:57

Billybob4491

I thought "dogging" was taking your pet for a walk.

i think originally that was the cover story, hence how it got that name.

TrendyNannie6 Sat 27-Mar-21 18:11:22

I think most probably a lot more on mumsnet would know the term A Pearl necklace, and yes I did know ?

welbeck Sat 27-Mar-21 18:15:36

joannapiano

When DH was in the Met Police he knew all the local dogging places near Hampstead Heath.

i never noticed any there, too full of cottagers.
or are you making it an all-encompassing term.

joannapiano Sat 27-Mar-21 18:18:05

Oh yes, I forgot about those! Epping Forest was also very popular.

welbeck Sat 27-Mar-21 18:21:25

any chance of getting back on track , away from all this smuttiness.
i wish i'd never heard of some of these. or could guess. it does not add to the beauty of life. i prefer not to look on ugliness.

i still don't understand the HSBC reference. or is that smutty too. in which case i don't want to know.

Lucca Sat 27-Mar-21 18:24:49

welbeck

any chance of getting back on track , away from all this smuttiness.
i wish i'd never heard of some of these. or could guess. it does not add to the beauty of life. i prefer not to look on ugliness.

i still don't understand the HSBC reference. or is that smutty too. in which case i don't want to know.

I explained that !

Shinamae Sat 27-Mar-21 18:30:49

DanniRae

I don't know what a 'pearl necklace' - don't think I want to know either!
I took some women's magazines to a very elderly aunt and when she was reading the problem page she said to me "What is oral sex?" I then had to explain to her what it involved. I don't recall what I said but she must have grasped the facts because she replied "Well I'm glad uncle xxxx didn't expect me to do that!" blush

????

Gingster Sat 27-Mar-21 18:59:49

I’ve never heard of the Pearl necklace saying. I got one for my Pearl anniversary. ! ?

welbeck Sat 27-Mar-21 19:04:16

but Lucca, what was the point, about the Hong Kong person being surprised at so many HSBC banks.
what was it she didn't know ?

Sago Sat 27-Mar-21 19:17:44

When President Clinton was accused of his affair with Miss Lewinsky, the newspapers kept referring to a B J.
I had taken my mother and mother in law for a weeks holiday, we had a broadsheet delivered daily, my MIL said “ darling what’s this B J the journalists are referring to?”
My mother then piped up, I have no idea.
I explained as politely as I could.
My MIL responded with “ do you think they do it in England or just America?”
I’m sure it’s just American said my mother. ??

Tangerine Sat 27-Mar-21 19:41:44

I had never heard of a "pearl necklace" either.

I've looked it up. I bet I'll hear it soon because I often find, if you learn a new word or expression, you keep hearing it afterwards.

You learn something new every day.

TerriBull Sat 27-Mar-21 20:09:14

Well I didn't know the term a "pearl necklace" either, I could only think of pearl clutching, that is sometimes referred to on this site, however, I did think if the term is used frequently on MN, then it's bound to have a sexual connotation. After further investigation on line, I see it does! Off to clutch my pearls, or I would if I had some, well I have pearl earrings at least!

Yes indeed Tangerine you do learn something new every day!

Urmstongran Sat 27-Mar-21 20:47:52

My post pretty much hijacked this thread didn’t it?
?
Apologies Biscuitmuncher. I bet you’ve given up on it. Mind you, would it have generated so much traffic otherwise?
??

gt66 Sat 27-Mar-21 21:29:17

I've had such a laugh reading this thread!

I knew about PN from school 50 years ago, but never heard of tea bagging until today! Googled it! shock

GrandmasueUK Sat 27-Mar-21 22:01:22

I was very surprised to hear a celebrity, in his 40s, on a quiz show yesterday, admit that he had never heard of Marie Antoinette. ?

GrandmaKT Sat 27-Mar-21 22:14:29

I knew tea bagging and dogging but peals necklace is a new one to me.
I asked DS and DIL for one for my 60th birthday, I wonder if they were quietly snickering at me?!

GagaJo Sat 27-Mar-21 23:36:02

A group of us were sitting at the table in the staff room once, when one of the young married teachers bounced in and announced she and her hubby were going dogging that weekend.

She meant they were going greyhound racing. And wondered why we were all screaming with laughter.

GrannyRose15 Sun 28-Mar-21 00:05:21

Had to explain what a cheque was to a little girl I was teaching last week.

Hate to think that no-one knows about pounds and ounces. My baking doesn't turn out the same with metric measurements.

But the funniest one was years a go when I was explaining how something had been knocked off the mantlepiece. My daughter's face was a picture when I said it had "gone for a burton".

Kaimoana Sun 28-Mar-21 00:32:44

Good grief, why so coy and at our age too.
Pearl necklace is a euphemism for sperm spilled near the breast and neck area.

Eloethan Sun 28-Mar-21 00:35:43

I'd never heard of a pearl necklace before either. As they say, you learn something new every day (although I'm not sure I wanted to learn that!).