Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Their Funniest 'Oh, That's How That Works' Stories

People Share Their Funniest 'Oh, That's How That Works' Stories

After all this time.... well I feel stupid.

Isn't it always the small things? We study and prepare for every difficult aspect of life but how is it we are stumped and then one upped by the truth of the truly simple? Sometimes we just have to be patient, calm.... and READ THE DIRECTIONS!

Redditor u/LaCreamy wanted everyone to share all the times we realized we were behind in figuring out the basics by asking.... What was your biggest "aaaahhh that's how that works" moment?



"by the ears."

Giphy

When my brother and I were really little we had an old family friend who would pick us up "by the ears." He would grab each ear but then would also have us grab onto his forearms. It took me until I was much older to realize that he wasn't actually picking us up by our ears, but instead used his forearms to lift us up. Still a great trick to use with little kids!

nirvanavrin

Oils...

I bought a car and was worried for months that my oil level never lowered, after 6 months I called my friend who sold me the car to ask about this, he explained that's that how it supposed to work, then when I realized every single car I owned and my dad owned my whole life leaked oil. omninephilim1

Lights Off.

Giphy

For a while, my Christmas lights would randomly turn off. I couldn't figure out what it was. Was it the wireless switch? Was it some fault in the electricity? It would seemingly be random, and I couldn't figure out what it was. Then one day I was coming home from work and my neighbors got home at the same time. As they were locking their car doors, my lights turned off. I realized, "Ah, that's how that works." TheCaptainCog

REPEL! 

I bought some of those expensive windshield wipers that repel water and I they sucked. It would smear the rain and the damn blade kept sliding off. I'd have to get off to fix put it back on. This went on for a 4-5 months. One day I went to slide the blade back on that I realized it wasn't the blade, but the blade cover that I kept putting back. becelav

"How long have you had this thing?"

Got a laptop for a job managing a cafe. Worked fine but it was inconvenient to use behind the counter and in the kitchen. After watching me struggle to use it standing up, the owner took it from me, rotated the screen and flipped it closed. It was a combo laptop/tablet and I had no idea. "How long have you had this thing?" Two months. Positivistdino

Kitchen Tools...

Giphy

I have an air fryer. It's a pretty handy kitchen tool. The food goes in a basket which is attached to what's basically a metal bowl. So the grease and crumbs and whatever fall out of the basket and into the bowl.

My only real complaint was it was hard to get the food out without a mess. You try and dump the basket onto a plate and the oil in the bowl still kind of runs out in a puddle. You can keep it away from the food if you're paying attention and like wipe it up but it's an annoyance.

Then one day I mentioned it to my wife while making some fries. She just looked at me and said "Why don't you take them apart?" and took the handle and pressed the button to separate the basket and bowl, dumped the fries out mess free, and reconnects it back to the bowl.

Now you might be thinking I'm an idiot for not knowing about that button. It's actually WORSE. I knew that button was there, I just used it to separate the pieces for cleaning and it somehow never occurred to me to take them apart during use despite the fact it's just one simple button that can be used with one hand. sharrrper

29 is Hard! 

I just realized, this past spring at a party, that I've been using corkscrews on wine bottles all wrong. Turns out it is NOT correct form to screw it in by turning the bottle, then depressing the handles.

I was publicly mocked.

I deserved it. (I'm 29.) strixx-variaa

The Jiggilies.... 

My "aha" moment was learning why the little metal bits on the end of tape measures are always loose and jiggly. It's so that it can slide to compensate for the thickness of the metal stop depending which side of the edge you measure on. Genius bit of engineering that most people don't even realize is helping them out all the time. SeeRight_Mills

Know the Limit.

Giphy

Never knew why some yellow lights seemed to change so fast and others felt like they took forever. I thought it was just a flat amount of time for everywhere. Then Reddit told me that yellow lights stayed yellow for the speed limit divided by ten, in seconds. So 25 mph speed limit means the light will stay yellow for 2.5 seconds, and 45 mph means it will stay yellow for 4.5 seconds. It all makes sense now. BamboozledBigTIme

I discovered.....

I discovered, by accident, that when I push the car door "unlock" button 3 times, it makes all the windows go down.

It's a very handy feature in warm weather. Back2Bach

REDDIT

More from People

Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less
two women in emotional distress seated on couch
Ben White on Unsplash

People Who've Experienced Grief Share The Most Tone-Deaf Things They've Heard

Grief, loss, trauma are all part of life. But for most people, the emotions and reactions that go with them are difficult to witness.

So they rely on platitudes to fill any holes in conversation. That's rarely a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less