Things you can't believe people have never heard of

Sparkling

I can’t see anything wrong with a Pearl necklace. I had one for my 21st birthday and it’s lovely.

There’s nothing wrong with a ‘bought’ pearl necklace Sparkling. Very beautiful and classy.

The ribald humour last summer was when my lady friend suggested her husband ‘give’ her one of them!

That was what set off the laughter. Poor lass was bemused ... then mortified.

Well if nothing else ladies, this has generated 80% of the conversation on here!

??

When I was a young woman starting out in the world of hospital lab work, I asked a male doctor what randy meant. His reply was 'you know, like a goat'. I was very embarrassed!

I am often surprised at the ignorance of the celebrities on Richard Osman's House of Games. The other day Rav Wilding said he had never heard of Marie Antoinette. The stand-up comedians usually have the best all round general knowledge - they could teach me a thing or two I am sure!

Urmstongran
It all happens in the Malaga sunshine ?
This thread has been so amusing

You’re right there Millie! I ❤️ my “Ladies Who Wine” group so much! A mixed age group. A weekly group of women, sat in a Spanish bar enjoying wine, friendship and laughter!
??☀️

I hadn’t heard the meaning of Pearl necklace either. Now going to look up the Barnett formula and tea bagging.
I do know what the saltire is and I’m not Scottish.

Sunlover

When I was teaching a ten year old was heard talking about tea bagging. Very few of the staff had ever heard of it ( me included). A younger member of staff enlightened us. ??

I’ve now looked up tea bagging and shocked about a ten year old talking about it. The joys of the internet!

Sounds like bliss to me. Just lovely

Here is ‘our bar’ ❤️

Urms

I know. ?

Now I want to join you! Stop it ?

OK, I've now looked up the list of unknowns and added to my education.
Going back to the original purpose of the thread, I remember using a teletext machine and how modern I felt!
I had to explain and demonstrate shorthand to my son (please don't say that has an alternative meaning nowadays!).
I also had to explain 'old' money to him, eg 2 Bob, half a crown, a tanner, threepence, farthing, etc.
There, now that was a less impolite part of the discussion I hope ?

me neither!

Blinko

I googled tea bagging and ok, I get that. But no such luck with string of pearls. All I got was houseplants and Glenn Miller.....

You need to search for Pearl necklace not string of pearls. You might prefer not to.
I’ve had to look up a few terms mentioned on this thread. Eye opening!

I had to explain the currently fashionable terms “ incel ” and “woke” recently to someone I thought was a most intelligent woman. Does she never read social commentators?

GCHQ

I find it wierd when Top Gun and Pretty Woman get a blank look from young people today.

Oh lordy I've had a great laugh at this read. Have been on Google and now know the meanings of 3 new sayings, not that I'll ever use them lol. I've been hibernating for a very long time....

i agree with DanniRae.
i wish this thread had stuck to its original theme of historical or cultural reference terms that younger people, mostly, are unacquainted with.
if you all wanted it to go another way i wish it could have been given another title so i could have avoided it.
it hurts my mind

welbeck picking up your point I think it should be something they ought to know.

Some years ago, I worked for an international consultancy firm and I wanted all the files on a project in Taiwan. I searched the Asian section of the filing system for files on Taiwan, but without result.

I then went to speak to the relevant secretary and asked for help. She told me that she thought Taiwan was in the Middle East and that is where all the files were. This secretary had a degree in geography.

before the turn of the century, i was working in the field and needed some information kept in the office.
i rang and spoke to a temp admin asst.
i described the folder behind her and asked her to get it down.
she said she couldn't see anything like that. and that all the files were in metal cabinets. i said this was a large blue ring binder on a shelf behind where she sat.
she insisted no such thing was there. i thought it's just poss someone has taken it to use at their desk, though unlikely, it never moved.
got back to the office and there it was where i said.
i asked her why she hadn't found it. she said she had no idea what a ring binder was.
nor a folder. nor a file except hanging in a cabinet.
obviously she had no motivation at all to helpful which i also found baffling.

Monica, i heard something similar to your story about arteacts in a museum.
they thought some pieces were lost/stolen as they had been missing for decades.
one day a young asst was dusting off some old boxes and found the serial numbers were out of sync.
can't remember the exacts but something had long ago been put in the wrong region's boxes.
so it had a happy outcome. but even in a learned institution, basic errors are made. think the middle east was involved.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-55315623

took an Egyptian asst to realise that Egypt is not in asia...

Sorry welbeck for spoiling this thread. Truly.
I never for a minute thought it would garner such interest. And so many comments.
pantglas led me on miss. She did it first!!

Apologies. That was infantile & my attempt at humour.

My apology is sincere though. That said now it’s been spoilt, perhaps you could start one of your own? A serious one about blue ring binders and such like. I wouldn’t post on that, I promise!

?

Me too and I definitely haven’t had a sheltered upbringing!!