Question of the day - Thursday 21 April

GemsGem

Mentor
Thread starter
Staff Member
Mentor
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
5,613
Purraise
2,124
Location
England
Hi everyone :wavey:





What's the simplest thing you can't do ?


I was having this discussion with a few of my work mates the other day & I thought this might make a good question of the day - hopefully :cross:
One of them can't pronounce the word "three." She can't make that "th" sound, so it comes out as "free."
Another one can't cut a straight slice of cheese ( or a straight slice of anything ) they come out crooked every time.

Now for me :lol3: I can't whistle - Nope, it just will not happen ! I spent many hours of my childhood trying & lots of different people trying to teach me, with no luck. :(
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
I can't leave the house in one try.  I ALWAYS forget something, or a cat does something like escape and have to be caught, and often it takes from three to five trips back into the house before I can actually leave.  Yes, I have A.D.D. but I'm medicated.  Still, I cannot leave the house in one try.
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,264
Purraise
5,229
Location
New Jersey
Whistling here also.

I used to be able to until I got my nose fixed!  I guess changing the shape of things made an impact other than appearance LOL
 

Kat0121

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
15,039
Purraise
20,367
Location
Sunny Florida
A cartwheel. I tried countless times as a kid and I just can't do it. 

My grandmother used to say toilet like Archie Bunker did-  as TERLET  

Oil was EARL 

 

artiemom

Artie, my Angel; a part of my heart
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Messages
11,162
Purraise
23,258
Location
near Boston
I cannot whistle, either!

Also, I have a very difficult time pronouncing the name, Sheila...

sorry all Sheilas out there!!!

It never comes out right....was terribly embarrassing when I had to work with a woman named Sheila!!!
 

inanna

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 29, 2016
Messages
269
Purraise
82
Location
Sunny South Carolina
I'm whistling challenged too, just can't do it. I can't touch my toes no matter how much yoga I try to do. My back just wasn't made for serious bending.
 

DreamerRose

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Messages
8,744
Purraise
11,085
Location
Naperville, IL
I can't whistle or snap my fingers either. Those two things must be difficult for a lot of people. Some words are hard for me: Pottawatomie, for one. It's the name of an Indian tribe in northern Illinois. Also McEnerny, and some words I've read in books and know the meaning of but have never heard in conversation and have no clue how they're pronounced.
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,893
Purraise
28,300
Location
South Dakota
I can't cut a straight slice of cheese or bread either. . .can anybody? :lol3: I can whistle and snap my fingers (maybe not very well though, lol). I can't walk in heels, even low ones. I can't drive a manual transmission (well, maybe that's not a simple thing ;)).
 

denice

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
18,873
Purraise
13,199
Location
Columbus OH
I can't whistle either, though I can snap my fingers.

I can't walk in any kind of heels anymore.  I used to be able to walk in them as long as they weren't the real high stiletto type heels but not anymore.
 

jcat

Mo(w)gli's can opener
Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
73,213
Purraise
9,851
Location
Mo(w)gli Monster's Lair
I can't cut a straight slice of cheese or bread either. . .can anybody? :lol3: I can whistle and snap my fingers (maybe not very well though, lol). I can't walk in heels, even low ones. I can't drive a manual transmission (well, maybe that's not a simple thing ;)).
The first thing that came to mind was slicing bread! It drives my husband absolutely bonkers. I can't walk in heels, either, after giving them up 25 years ago.

I'm not sure about a manual transmission, since I've been driving an automatic for the past decade and am way out of practice. The two cars before this one had manual transmissions, but I didn't drive them very often. I guess I'll find out soon. The animal shelter is getting a van with a manual transmission, and I'll be expected to drive it.
 

Winchester

In the kitchen with my cookies
Veteran
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
29,755
Purraise
28,130
Location
In the kitchen
I have a hard time slicing straight through a loaf of bread. We have a cheese slicer, so cheese isn't too bad.

I cannot open a bottle of wine without a lot of trouble. I don't know why; it's a very simple thing, just not for me.

Kitchen-wise, I can't make decent hamburgers, meatballs, or meatloaf. If I had to make them in order to save my life, I'd be dead by now.

I can spell, but I can't pronounce. I always want to pronounce "epitome" as "ep-i-tome". No idea why. And "Yosemite" is always "Yose-might" to me. It's embarrassing.  Must be a family thing. My sister wants to pronounce "vegetable" as "venge-table". Always. And she has a Doctorate in Education! 
 

donutte

Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
5,775
Purraise
2,554
Location
Northern suburbs of Chicago
Saying "s", "sh" and "ch" sounds. I can't tell you how many people have to ask me to repeat when saying something with a "ch" in it. Like saying I want the cheese sub at the cafe at work. I repeat it a few times, always.

I went through speech therapy as a kid, all though elementary and high school. Didn't do a dang thing.

Oh, and when I was in community college, I took Polish :lol3: Forget the fact that it's hard to say things in Polish to begin with if your native language is nowhere near that, just because of the combinations of sounds. There are so many words that have "shch" sound. Omg!
 

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
i definitely can't walk in heels -- one of the heels in my feet is very sensitive and often quite painful.

i never could do a cartwheel, or hand stand either.
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,776
Purraise
32,975
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
I can't cook. I either burn stuff, add too much salt or some other ingredient or cut or burn myself. I have trouble making even a cup of tea without maiming myself.
 

mani

Moderator and fervent feline fan
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
46,705
Purraise
23,467
Location
Australia
Oh.. good question!  Definitely gets us thinking..


I can't roll my 'r's.. I just googled it an apparently it's called: voiced alveolar trill


I also can't run for any distance.  As  a child I used to hide during cross-country running and catch them on the way back..
 

AbbysMom

At Abby's beck and call
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
78,388
Purraise
19,503
Location
Massachusetts
Swim. There are also ha few words, normally last names, that I have a hard time pronouncing.
 

denice

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
18,873
Purraise
13,199
Location
Columbus OH
 
Oh.. good question!  Definitely gets us thinking..


I can't roll my 'r's.. I just googled it an apparently it's called: voiced alveolar trill


I also can't run for any distance.  As  a child I used to hide during cross-country running and catch them on the way back..
I can't roll my r's either.  I tried to learn Spanish when I was in high school and it didn't go well.  Everyone else in the class could do it but I wasn't able to.
 

artiemom

Artie, my Angel; a part of my heart
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Messages
11,162
Purraise
23,258
Location
near Boston
Saying "s", "sh" and "ch" sounds. I can't tell you how many people have to ask me to repeat when saying something with a "ch" in it. Like saying I want the cheese sub at the cafe at work. I repeat it a few times, always.

I went through speech therapy as a kid, all though elementary and high school. Didn't do a dang thing.

Oh, and when I was in community college, I took Polish
Forget the fact that it's hard to say things in Polish to begin with if your native language is nowhere near that, just because of the combinations of sounds. There are so many words that have "shch" sound. Omg!
Can't believe that Polish was offered as a class. I would have jumped at the opportunity to take it! I am Polish and can only speak a few words and phrases....
 

donutte

Professional cat sitter extraordinaire!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
5,775
Purraise
2,554
Location
Northern suburbs of Chicago
Can't believe that Polish was offered as a class. I would have jumped at the opportunity to take it! I am Polish and can only speak a few words and phrases....
Chicago has a HUGE Polish population. There are more Polish people in Chicago than there are in Warsaw. And that particular college was pretty much in the heart of the Polish area of the city.
 
Top