Fun with Literal-mindedness
That reminds me of the time when I was eight, my principal asked me why had I been flicking the boys off. I thought she meant flicking them like you did when you flip paper away or things away using your fingers. So I told her I hadn't done it. She actually meant the middle finger but I didn't know that. That day mom taught me at home what the middle finger meant and the way she had her hand, I thought it all meant the f word not just the middle finger. I can remember learning later that year the middle finger itself means the f word so I thought two hand gestures meant it and it took me a while to figure out my mother was only showing me the middle finger and there is only one way that means it. I thought for a while I could not sing Where is Thumpkin anymore and doing the hands because then I would have to hold out my middle finger so the game was bad now to play. Mom told me that was different and it's okay to hold out your middle finger but only during the song.
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Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed.
Daughter: NT, no diagnoses.
My grandmother says that when people say ''you all right?'' Also she says other things like that, like once when I arrived to her bungalow and said, ''Mum's coming'', and she said, ''so's Christmas.'' Also once when I said, ''shall I put the kettle on?'' and she replied, ''you can, but it won't fit you.'' Also when she phones up and I answer it, and she asks what I'm doing and I say, ''nothing'', she often says, ''you can't be doing nothing, unless you've been sitting there staring at the walls all evening!''
She's not Aspie though. It's just part of her sense of humour.
My husband does literal jokes sometimes and it gets me every time.
One of them was last summer I got an umbrella stroller from the free sale (someone had junk all over their yard and was giving it all away for free so people were coming by and taking what they wanted, lot of it was crap meaning it needed to be thrown out because it was not worth keeping) and it was dirty but it could be cleaned. I knew it would be good for my husband because it's taller and bigger and it would be good to bring on the bus. I told my husband that day I got him a stroller and he said 'I won't fit in it." I took him seriously and told him what I meant and he laughed and said it was a joke.
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Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed.
Daughter: NT, no diagnoses.
I know that the "falling off a log" thing is meant to say that something is easy, but I never could understand why it would be stated that way. Falling off a log seems like something accidental that should be avoided, not like something someone would easily accomplish whenever they meant to do it. Who means to fall off a log? Besides, such a thing is something I'd associate more with being uncomfortable than with finding something easy.
Some idioms just frustrate me.
this. Why would someone fall off a log on purpose?!
I found this quite amusing it has a bunch a family taking what people say to them literally
http://youtu.be/Gq-hr7Y7n9A
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MindWithoutWalls
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It was funny, but I got squeamish at the end, even though it was fictitious and ended before anything actually happened. Yeah, I'm actually that sensitive.
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MindWithoutWalls
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How about when people "panic over" something? Now, there's an interesting image!
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Master Shipwright and his Assistant, Chatham Dockyard, to Navy Board, 17 June 1756.
On Tuesday a petition was brought to the Honourable Thomas Cooper, Esq., Commissioner of this yard, by john Bissenden and Robert Woodriff, shipwrights, in behalf of the whole body of shipwrights, relating to their carrying chips out of the yard on their shoulders. The next day the Commissioner sent for them in the presence of the Master Shipwright and the First Assistant and represented to them the ill consequence of such proceedings, and read to them your Honourable Board's warrant of the 4 May 1753 on which the said two men withdrew the petition and said they would talk to all the people and believe everybody would be satisfied with what had been said to them. And in the afternoon the Master Shipwright sent for all the foremen and quartermen and read the Order to them of the 4th May 1753, and give every quarterman a particular charge to tell all his men separately what the order was relating to their lowering their chips and carrying them under their arm out of the yard.
This day at twelve of the clock some few of the workmen about one hundred and fifty came up first to the gate without any chips, afterwards about twenty more came and lowered their chips agreeable to the Board's warrant. Then came John Miller, shipwright, about thirty feet before the main body of the people, on which the Master Shipwright ordered him to lower his chips. He answered he would not, with that the Master Shipwright took hold of him, and said he should. He, the said Miller replied, 'Are not the chips mine? I will not lower them.' Immediately the main body pushed on with their chips on their shoulders, crowded and forced the Master Shipwright and the First Assistant through the gateway, and when out of the yard give three huzzas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_on_shoulder
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Autism Quotient - 44
Empathy Quotient - 8
Mind in the Eyes ? 18
Systemizing quotient - 52
Aspie-quiz ? AS: 151 NT: 61
Me (NT): "How can you drink coffee man?" (It was summer)
My buddy (aspie): (With a confused look on his face) I put the lid next to my lips?
My aspie girlfriend: "My dog charlie can be rambunctious around strangers, just to warn you"
Me: "Don't worry, I'll bite him and establish alpha male dominance!! !
My aspie girlfriend: (With an affrad look on her face) Why do you want to bite Charlie? *Sob
Hold your horses for some reason made me think of trying not to wet your pants. Or I'd just run around galloping.
You're driving me up the wall. I'd run to a wall and pretend I was pushing a toy car over it.
How's it hanging? Really really bad image. Man bits, yeah.
Kill two birds with one stone. ARRRGGHHH!! ! Ocean Girl and me have something in common.
Cake walk. A big boot coming down on a white frosted cake.
Pulling up the rear. Oh God, the visuals.
I like the fun things the OP does with literal mindedness. I want to try that.
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I do this too. Bank robberies, hostage situation, etc.
You scared me to death just makes me think, 'really?' with a grin.
I know I've said this one before but Australian slang is just so, repulsive to me:
"You're sitting there with your finger stuck up your bum." Excuse me? I don't even have to explain the visuals.
It basically means not getting anything done when you should. I think so at least.
There's one I've heard from America: Dicking around.
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Mummy_of_Peanut
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On Tuesday a petition was brought to the Honourable Thomas Cooper, Esq., Commissioner of this yard, by john Bissenden and Robert Woodriff, shipwrights, in behalf of the whole body of shipwrights, relating to their carrying chips out of the yard on their shoulders. The next day the Commissioner sent for them in the presence of the Master Shipwright and the First Assistant and represented to them the ill consequence of such proceedings, and read to them your Honourable Board's warrant of the 4 May 1753 on which the said two men withdrew the petition and said they would talk to all the people and believe everybody would be satisfied with what had been said to them. And in the afternoon the Master Shipwright sent for all the foremen and quartermen and read the Order to them of the 4th May 1753, and give every quarterman a particular charge to tell all his men separately what the order was relating to their lowering their chips and carrying them under their arm out of the yard.
This day at twelve of the clock some few of the workmen about one hundred and fifty came up first to the gate without any chips, afterwards about twenty more came and lowered their chips agreeable to the Board's warrant. Then came John Miller, shipwright, about thirty feet before the main body of the people, on which the Master Shipwright ordered him to lower his chips. He answered he would not, with that the Master Shipwright took hold of him, and said he should. He, the said Miller replied, 'Are not the chips mine? I will not lower them.' Immediately the main body pushed on with their chips on their shoulders, crowded and forced the Master Shipwright and the First Assistant through the gateway, and when out of the yard give three huzzas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_on_shoulder
Thanks! But still, what are they chips of? I'm guessing wood, since it's an 18th century shipyard. Oh! Duh! Do they mean scrap pieces of wood? They're in a big bundle, right?
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