Sometimes as a child in Ireland if I did a silly thing my parents would tell me that I needed to get some "cop on".

To "cop on" is Irish slang for "to understand" or "to get with the program." It is also used as a noun meaning "common sense."

They began to enrich this admonishment by telling me I needed to "go over to Mrs Conaty the Chemist [pharmacist] and ask her for half-a-pound of cop-on."

Sometimes they would even put a few pennies in my fist and send me on my way, only to call me back as I was going out the door.

I really came to believe that this magical cop-on stuff could be bought in the Chemist shop and that it would make me more intelligent, less clumsy, less forgetful, etc.

As time went on I did notice my parents trying to supress smirks as they told me this. And I finally realized that they were just sharing a joke at my expense.

Fergus

When my mother and sisters would leave the house on errands without me, I would always ask, "Where you goin?" and my mother would always reply, "Crazy."

I used to believe Crazy was an interesting store on the eastern border of my hometown that I was never allowed to go to.

David.

My sister and I used to believe that the "payers" (cashiers) in stores got to keep all the money in their cash registers.

Tracyca

My parents are a big supporter of The Salvation Army charity and would talk about it a lot when I was little. And I remember my Dad saying he was going to take some old clothes to the Salvation Army store and I BEGGED to go with him and when we got there and I saw all the old clothes and furniture and stuff I started crying and asked my dad "Where are all the guns?" You know, cause it was the Salvation ARMY - I was picturing guns and bombs and soldiers marching. Until my dad explained it to me that day I never understood why my parents were supporting an army.

JennyLou

i used to believe that shoping carts were for slave children

kyle welch

I was like 5 and I used to think that when you go into a store that you just have to show the guy behind the counter what you are getting and then you could leave (probably cause I couldent see above the store counter and never saw anyone give the clerk money) so one day when I was around 5, I left my house without telling my parents, walked all the way down an alley and into a liquor store grabbed like 3 boxes of boston baked beans, some sticks of gum and a beer that I was going to take home ofr my dad since he always brought stuff home from the store for me, when I showed the clerk he asked "wheres your mom or dad" and I jsut started crying, he called the cops,and the cop took me back home :(

Anon

I used to think that they only sold car boots at boot fairs!

Di

I used to think that the flea market was a place where you can by fleas. I imagined jars swarming with fleas and I wondered why anyone would want them.

Anon

I used to think that the "shoplifters will be prosecuted" signs in stores meant that if you steal you will be killed

lololye

Every time I entered a building that was built in/on a hill or slanted ground, I could not figure out how i could walk in the front door on the bottom floor, go up the escalator, walk out a door on the second floor and still be on the ground. it boggled my mind for years

Lauren

When I was about 5, I managed to misinterpret the concept behind "cents-off" coupons. If a coupon said "save 15 cents", I was certain that it meant you had to pay ALL your money except for 15 cents that you were allowed to SAVE, when paying for that product. And i really could not undertand why anyone though that was a good thing...

chrisboy

I was about five and my mother was taking something to some re-sale shop to be sold and she said she was doing it for Christmas money. In my mind she was going to end up with all this gloriously shiny and all different colored coins. I could hardly wait to see that Christmas money.

Linda from Texas

I used to believe that the only way to get new safety pins was to send clothing to be dry cleaned, because in those days it always came back with the tag held on with the safety pin.

Euphemia DeWinton

When I was a boy, I used to live in the bottom of a bowl shaped area in a small farming village in upsate new york. I used to believe that Indians were standing at the top of the hill like in some bad western, and every time I had to get groceries, I would run into the house from what I knew was going to be the next Custer's Last Stand.

keith

My sister and I used to dig up the yard because we would think that if we dig deep enough, we will get to Toys 'R' Us and get all the free toys we want.

Rose

I use to be afraid of escalators in the mall, It wasnt the riding part that scared me , it was at the end and I thought it would suck me in.

Lindsay

I used to believe that strip malls were bad because I thought you had to strip off your clothes to go there. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to shop naked.

Anon

I used to believe handicapped parking spaces were spaces for people to park thier wheelchairs. My Mom always called them "wheelchair spaces" for some reason, and so I didin't understand that they were for cars. We must not have had many disabled people in our town, becuase it was rare to see the spot being used. I always hoped to see a wheelchair parked in its special place. I believed this for a long time!!!!

Anon

I used to think the Flea Markets actually sold fleas...

Anon

I used to think that if I didn't jump over the crack at the top and bottom of the escalator, it would suck me under.

Stacey