I used to believe when people said they had to make "ends meet" that they were really saying "ends meat" like it was some sort of meal.
A childhood belief about speaking

others believed things like this
- My mom was always talking about "making
ends meat" but I don't ever remember having it served at dinner!— John Stees - When you are very poor you "can't make end's meat." End's meat is some sort of cheap very low quality meat.— Betty
- When I was little I USED to THINK that hair grows by the ends.— Sirin
- I used to believe that sky ends at the horizon and by crossing it we can go to another world..— Debasish Satapathy
- I used to believe that wind was created by the trees, that it came out of the ends of their branches. — STeve
- I used to believe that farts were triangular with the ends rounded so they wounded hurt.Anon