Published on 12, July, 2020
I was listening to the radio the other day and they were talking about things that you’ve only just learnt or realised that everyone else seems to just know, the typical - “I was today years old when I realised…”. Made me think of some things that I didn’t register about straight away, and now wonder whether this is part of my autistic way of thinking about things, that I just thought about things literally. Some examples…
On for sale sites when people put something about collections, I always thought they meant that the person that bought the item had to be a collector to purchase it, as in a stamp collector or a coin collector, like it was their hobby. Not that they had to physically be able to go and collect it from the person selling.
In the song ‘one man went to mow, went to mow-a-meadow’ I always assumed there was a place called mow-a-meadow. I didn’t realise he was going to a meadow to mow/cut the grass.
when people put ‘Tia’ at the bottom of a post I thought it was that their name was Tia and it always amused me how many people shared the same name. It was only recently that I realised it was ‘thanks in advance’
Has anyone else got any examples of things like this? Do other people do it? Is it an autistic literal thinking thing or am I just stupid? :)
Also I don’t understand how you’re meant to know how hungry you are until you start eating and then feel full?? Do people actually expect a proper answer from that question? How do you quantify hunger?! :)
Sayings are sooo weird! why would anyone come up with a saying about eating horses?!
Ah, that raises another good one....."How hungry are you " my wife asks when she's dishing up dinner.
Well dear, I'd like 4 sausages, 50 fries and 30 baked beans please.Or maybe, I'd like 200g of pie, 100g of mashed potato and 50g of carrots. Don't forget the 150ml of gravy with a 5:1 ratio of water to gravy granules.
When I cook (I do a mean chilli con carne) I simply say its ready and the family can dish up however much rice and chilli they want.....makes it so much easier!
Another fav of mine "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"
And I'm like "How hungry are you??" XD
Learn something new every day
I wondered what it meant :)
I also like the old one: 'Are you alright?' 'No, I'm half left'
Or in a lavatory in Looe even
Thanks! I don't think I will get a book about metaphors as it means I could lose unintended humour arising from autistic literalism!
I'm intrigued as to how that would play out now!
Not sure if this one has been mentioned…. I’d be shocked if it hasn’t.
when greeting some / saying hello and they say “Hi, how you doing”.
Need I say anymore???
Better than spending your holiday in the lavatory (loo) I suppose ...
It's a metaphor.
It's a good idea to get a book on common sayings and metaphors and study it to learn how many people speak.
Non autistic people are generally not a fan of honesty and direct communication!
Goosey said:I'm walking on thin ice
What does this phrase even mean?
That is exactly what I thought lol XD
When I first experienced the world of work (in an hotel in Greater Manchester) I was confused hearing people say about being given 'holiday in lieu'. I was born in Devon and my family used to visit Looe in Cornwall sometimes. Therefore I thought it was nice that the employer kept giving staff these holidays but why Looe specifically?!
Funny! Why can’t people just say what they mean?!
When I really annoy my mum by being autistic she tells me I'm walking on thin ice and without thinking I look down straight away and then think "No I'm not I'm on the carpet"
Another example of me taking things literally is when people talk about their "baby". In my mind, I'll be conjuring up an infant under the age of 18 - 24 months old. It then catches me out when I realise the 'baby' is considerably older and possibly an adult, the person's pet, or in fact their partner.
There are some things that I know I take literally. For example, I have an aunt that I was once very close to and would speak with regularly on the phone. She would always end our conversations by saying, "Speak to you later." I would be left thinking that she was maybe planning to phone me again later that same day, until the penny dropped and I realised it was just a figure of speech and her way of saying, "Bye".
However, there are plenty of instances when I should take things literally and don't, although, off the top of my head, I'm unable to think of any examples.
Ahh interesting! Makes sense!
so nothing to do with baking then! :)