Forgetting a word or phrase can be frustrating as there isn’t always a handy synonym for, say, “bicycle” or “shoe.” So in a pinch (or in a panic) people’s brains just make up a workable substitute like “metal horse” or “foot clothes.” A conversation kicked off on Twitter recently about this universally relatable phenomenon when Brittani Nichols tweeted about an embarrassing moment when she forgot the word “reservation” and had to improvise by saying “food appointment.”
Called a restaurant to make a reservation but couldn’t think of the word so asked for a food appointment and now I can never show my face there again
— Brittani Nichols (@BisHilarious) October 7, 2019
People started chiming in with times that they forgot certain words or phrases and made up new ones on the spot. Here are some of the best ones.
1.
I once forgot the word for tired and said I was “hungry for sleep”. In English.
— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) October 7, 2019
2.
Forgot the word for monkey once and said “banana fellow” instead 😭😭🙈 I know this pain lol
— ✨🌗 gay space arwen 🚀🧝🏼♀️ (@spidershins) October 7, 2019
3.
Couldn’t remember the word “railing” and instead said “upstairs fence”.
— Poultergeist 🏳️🌈 (@KarmaPo_Po) October 7, 2019
4.
Perfect. Reminds of the embarrassing long period of time I kept forgetting the word calendar and instead called it a time map
— Claire Marie Palmer (@czmarie6) October 7, 2019
5.
Asked my partner to pass the pancake ketchup the other day
— Max Phrase (@PhrosenPhrase) October 8, 2019
6.
On e forgot the world “door” and said “window you walk through.”
— 🎃 Pumpkin with a K 🎃 (@imaginaryerika) October 8, 2019
7.
I once called a bench a “park couch.”
— Le Doctor Cagle (@lecagle) October 8, 2019
8.
I remember once @ErikWBarnes said he forgot the word ‘restaurant’ and instead said “hamburger store”
— Riley Wickerman (@rileyjsilverman) October 7, 2019
9.
My husband once called the barber to ask for an appointment, forgot the word, and what came out of his mouth was: “I was just wondering if you have any…hair cutting opportunities?”
— Rakeen Mabud (@rakeen_mabud) October 8, 2019
10.
When my 1st kid was just days old, I needed a nursing bra. I was so tired that when I walked into the store, I said “I need something for these,” and started to lift up my shirt. Only the look of horror on the clerk’s face stopped me from lifting further.
— EdenN. (@EdenNameri) October 8, 2019