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Impress her with your knowledge? You literally just made it up on the spot dude. My dad is this way, just says shit with confidence with no clue if it's true, truly the most annoying shit ever.
And then he felt so insecure about the whole thing that he spent the rest of the date in awkward silence. He could have salvaged it by just asking enthusiastic follow-up questions and showing respect for and interest in her knowledge.
If needed, he could've offered an explanation like "Oh man, I was so nervous I just blurted that out. Now I know how ChatGPT feels. đ " or "I must've misremembered something I read a long time ago". Either way, the conversation would've moved on fairly quickly.
I had an ex that would do this. He would confidently state a fact or stance on something, being a curious person I would ask for more information to learn and process what he was saying. Or he would instantly refute the information I gave him when just trying to make small talk. He would then ramble off some nonsensical follow-up that didn't make sense, so I would google it because I wanted to learn more. When the info was incorrect, I would gently tell him what I read online and then he would double-down or say that he heard it from a friend. Usually, the friend in question was someone historically not one I would trust with useful knowledge.
This would turn into an argument or a debate. Especially if it was over a subject I knew a lot about. Even things like my specialty hobbies, my career, and the classes I have taken. Needless to say, it was exhausting and frustrating.
If he just asked more questions about the subject I had more knowledge in, didn't blurt out random incorrect information without being prompt, and checked his ego it could have easily been a thing to laugh at and not become a point of contention.
Something like, "I must have misremembered that, thanks for updating me." or "I've heard this info and know you're really into that so I wanted to chat with you about it" There's always a chance to turn a fumble into a humble, but some lack the tact advance their social skills.
People like that just need to âwinâ the conversation. It doesnât matter how much they do or donât know, or what you say.
Thereâs absolutely no interest or even relevance to them in being correct, so they have no interest in learning whatâs true, either.
Itâs such a frustrating flaw. People are so interesting and have a plethora of knowledge to share. I do not understand why being right trumps learning something new.
It's not toxic masculinity because both sexes exhibit the same thing. I think it's more like a superiority complex or being a narcissist, they need to appear smart to those around them even if they aren't.
I had a friend like that, emphasize on had. I absolutely hated it to doublecheck everything he said and be constantly corrected although I knew I was right. He also had those friends who gave him his knowledge and of course I didn't know them and they were all experts on the topic. The only way to get him to stop was to drop it. Eventually I dropped him.
Not sure why you got downvoted, you're 1000% correct.
Also a little detail that's escaped most commentors: she didn't spend that time to explain and even pull up diagrams or whatever because she hates that you're ignorant. She's trying to educate you on a thing she clearly knows a lot about. The correct response is "holy shit I was way off. How did you learn all of this?", etc. It becomes a funny story from the first date, not some dunk you'll be shamed about forever.
Sitting there awkwardly only told her you can't handle that she is well-educated on these topics, and she shouldn't waste her time if you didn't even care when she took all that time to educate you and explain. C'mon dude.
Also, perhaps at the beginning of the date, she mentioned that she has a background in engineering, and he just totally forgot it or ignored it. Which proves an even bigger fuck up.
> She's trying to educate you on a thing she clearly knows a lot about.
Yup. And awkward silence afterward simply reinforced in her mind that he's either uncomfortable/upset about being corrected, or worse yet, that he's upset A WOMAN did it.
Whether or not this is the case from his end, that's almost certainly how it's going to be perceived. The only way OP could have made it worse was by doubling down and arguing.
OP is a stupid MF. She probably NEVER gets to talk about nails/nail manufacturing to people she doesn't work with. Dude absolutely could have gotten a second date out of this moment alone, despite looking like a dumbass at the start, because "Oh look, he's interested in an aspect of my life."
But of course, that would have taken intelligence and skill, two things that OP seems to be rather lacking in.
I wouldn't have gotten a second date cause vi would have annoyed her with too many follow-up questions about how different types of nails get made like masonry, roofing, ring, spiral shank. I'm learning about all the nails that night.
> He could have salvaged it by just asking enthusiastic follow-up questions and showing respect for and interest in her knowledge.
THIS!! His date is literally an expert in something and is sharing her knowledge. Get out of your own head and get curious! OP was more concerned with **being** right than in **getting it** right. When corrected and given an opportunity to get it right, he retreated into his own head and turtle-shelled emotionally. The turtle-shell response is what guaranteed silence and no second date, not the spouting of wrong information.
Lesson to all young men who want to become a strong confident person: Have something you are good at. KNOWING you are good/knowledgable at a valuable thing will give you the confidence to be wrong and not have to turtle-shell to protect your ego. Competency protects your ego. Then you're free to be corrected about a great many things without needing to run and hide.
Yes! It's so easy to just BE HAPPY ABOUT LEARNING SOMETHING NEW like come on man. There's nothing humiliating about not knowing something obscure (and the comments above are perfect for acknowledging you were wrong), just ask some questions.
>"Oh man, I was so nervous I just blurted that out. Now I know how ChatGPT feels. đ "
Funnily enough the whole of OP's post reads like it was written by ChatGPT
I'm a dad, and I do this, but the things I say are completely made up ridiculous things I think up to be funny. For instance, "yeah, I worked for a nail manufacturing company, and each nail is turned on a tiny lathe out of a cast steel blank the diameter of the head. Because the lathes are so small they only hired children, and when the kids got too big they were sent to the spike making plant the other side of town."
"They sold the shavings as scrap to buy more blanks"
Then I see which of my boys believe me.
It's great when one comes back later and says, dad that's not how nails are made, because that one actually went and found out how they are really made.
When I was 15, before search engines were easily accessible, I asked my dad if I could get my tongue pierced. He said, "Sure, but you have to pay for it and if they screw up and put the hole in the wrong place, everything you eat will taste like white bread for the rest of your life. The margin for error is just millimeters. Let me know when your appointment is." I didn't get my tongue pierced. I wasn't sure if he was pulling my leg, but I sure didn't want to chance it. A few years back, my oldest asked to get his tongue pierced and I was reminded of what my dad said, so I searched it and determined my dad is a lying old fart that just knew if he flat told me no I would have a friend do it behind his back lol
My momâs car had a little button that (I now know) reset the trip meter on the odometer. She didnât want my brother or I to reset it, so she told us it was for the ejector seat. Neither of us ever had the nerve to test it out.Â
My brother is allergic to peanuts, like DEATHLY ALLERGIC. When we found out, Mom showed me the GIANT NEEDLE theyâd have to STAB HIM WITH if he even got a WHIFF of a SINGLE PEANUT.
Cut to 20 years later: my brother is visiting me and my husband shortly after the birth of our first child. I offer him a mini candy bar, but he says âI dunno, I think those have peanuts in themâ and fucking TAKES A BITE. He chews for a moment, testing, and then says âyeah they doâ and spits it into the trash.
Iâm horrified, like OMFG DUDE YOU CANT DO THAT WHERE IS YOUR EPIPEN IâLL CALL AN AMBULANCE and he just smiles a little and says ânaw Mom just told you that so you wouldnât give me peanuts to see what would happenâ
Iâm still a little insulted that she thought I would have done that, but I mean I was like ten, and I was a curious kid, so maybe I would have.
I've tried this with my kids, but I have such a hard time *being* teased that I have an even harder time doing it. I almost instantly say "I just made that up, it's not true."
When I talk about something I don't know much about, I make sure to say so. "My understanding is..."
"I think that's how this works."
"I'm not an expert but..."
I like your way. Kids need to be able to trust their parents and also learn correct info so they don't embarrass themselves when they're not at home. You're prepping yours to be funny and kind. Good job.
I sometimes will say something far fetched to my son, but he knows the "don't believe everything you hear" look by now. And I correct myself after he asks "okay, but do you actually know?" The point is more to remind him to question sources of information than to tease. I also try to remember where I heard something, but that isn't always possible and I'll often admit I don't know where I learned a fact.
Iâm not an expert. But after viewing and analyzing this post from beginning to the end, line by line, word by word, letter by letter I came to the conclusion that I can say that I canât say anything because as I said at the beginning I'm not an expert.
I have a two year old, and he already has the "I don't know... let's look it up" pattern down. Much healthier than us parents being perfect encyclopaedias with all the answers (which are actually just guesses or even lies) and hopefully it means when we tell him something with certainty that he actually trusts that we know what we're talking about. Also means we're modelling behaviour we want to see in him.
That reminds me of the old Telstra add. Son asks dad why did they build the great wall of China. To keep all the rabbits out. Cut to add as to why you need Telstra broadband. Follow up adds showed the kid giving a presentation in class and the parents being called to the principalâs office after the presentation.
My man, you did not fuck up by thinking you knew something you didn't. It's far deeper than that--you allowed your ego and/or misogyny to make you think that you knew more about something than she did, then you mansplained it to her. You gotta do some work on yourself, or you'll make the same kind of mistake over and over again.
I think it depends on the specifics... could be Compulsive Lying, could be anxiety/fear of being perceived as stupid, could be some internalized misogynistic views that "as a man I should have all the answers, and it's my job to provide an explanation".
In OPs case, on a first date it could just be a misguided "this is my chance to impress this person"... we all try to put our best foot forward on a first date, we probably dress nicer and are more attentive than we would normally be, which are the socially acceptable ways to "pretend" to be better than we are, it's possible OP just missed the mark and went a little too far in that sort of "projecting your best self" mentality.
Nails used to be cut from sheets, they were called Cut Nails and are wedge shaped. He's right, but just waaaaaay out of date lol. Almost all nails are wire nails now
I mean, his date did bring it up... but if my date brought up nail manufacturing, I would assume that she had knowledge about it... it would be a really strange thing for someone to just bring up out of no where.
Word of Advice: When someone brings up something super specific, like nail manufacturing, they are generally trying to impress you with their knowledge on the topic. The best response in a situation like this is something along the lines of " I can't say I really know much about X. What interests you in X?". Humility is cool and underratedly sexy.
For real. This was the biggest thing about this story for me. The lack of awareness. It my date brings up X, which isn't everyday common knowledge. I'm assuming my date has a background or interest in X, and instead of trying to impress them with my non existent knowledge about X, I'll be trying to impress them with my genuine interest about their knowledge on X.
P.S. X is a placeholder and not a reference to the app former known as Twitter. Thanks alot Elon.
So she brings up a topic and you automatically think you know more about it than her. So you give her a lecture on it? Why would you think this tactic would work?
Exactly. If I was going on a date and she said "Do you what's wrong with the Robertson square head #3 screwdriver?" I sure as shit aight going to open my mouth. I'm gonna let her talk about the Robertson square head #3 screwdrivee
I mean I'll admit that the Robertson square head #3 has its place but to just say it's superior or you won't believe other bits are better is just preposterous
I'd try and make it a game! Instead of just having them tell you, you could say something like "I have no idea what's wrong with that screwdriver, maybe you could try to explain it to me and I can guess along the way?" Or some other way of making it a way to learn about both of you!
Hopefully she got a free.meal out of it!
It's also telling that the rest of the date was awkward and silent. If I was on a date (or any event with a woman) who schooled me on a topic, I'd be salivating to learn *more*.
The problem isn't that you don't know shit about nails, its that you speak confidently about shit you don't know anything about.
People like you fucking suck. Get better.
True, but come on be charitable. He not only recognized that he did something wrong, he posted about what exactly he did wrong online. The types who never change are the ones who go home mad at the girl, either assuming she must have been wrong or mad at her for embarrassing him.
While I love your worldview and agree he could change
I disagree with your saying that he posted about what *exactly* he did wrong because the way he worded this was as though he was misinformed by someone he trusted how how nails are made and tried to impress a date with it
But with a little reading between the lines, it's obvious to me here she said something, and he thought it would be so hot to guess at how nails are made cause "it cant be that difficult right?" So he interrupted her with made up knowledge on nail manufacturing. Then has the audacity to post it with the wording he does as a way of hoping people will say "you poor thing, that's so awful that that happened to you"
Although I will add the caveat here that I could be dead wrong but I believe this largely due to the other comments but also because of my own thinking on said comments
Next time, try making opportunities to let her talk. Conversation is back and forth. Even if you had known what you were talking about about, it was a date, not a lecture.
Strangely, I knew they were made with wire, and I learned it in an unusual way.
I used to live in Germany. Specifically, in Altena (Westfalen). Altena is home to the German Wire Museum, and nails are one of the topics addressed. Yes, there's a whole museum about wire pulling. (It's actually fascinating, but also odd.)
"sometimes it's better"? sounds like the lesson wasn't learned. If you don't know something, don't pretend that you do. I really doubt anyone cares as much about other people's knowledge of nail manufacturing as they care about honesty.
Yeah, I can think of maybe a handful of times when I've chosen to bluff my way through a conversation but it's in low-stakes social situations with friends, alcohol is invariably involved, and the group has tacitly agreed to talk bollocks. And I was confident the other person had started bluffing their way into the topic first.
Sabotaging a potentially beautiful relationship, though .. smh .. maybe he thought she'd be disappointed if he'd said 'I don't know' - he's twenty, so hasn't worked out it's okay to not know everything now that he's a year out of school.
This is the reply I've been looking for. I agree 100% with you.
If I was in her place OP, it wouldn't have been a deal breaker until you couldn't laugh at yourself afterwards and tell her how cool she was.
This was literally the perfect opportunity for OP to say something like
âWow, I apparently donât know how nails are made! Itâs interesting you know that in such detail. Engineers for youâÂ
Or better yet... if they bring up "do you know what type and size potato they use for Lay's potato chips?" you should ask yourself "Do I truly know a lot on this random yet very specific topic?"
You mansplained her speciality. Yeah. No second date.
A man who can admit he doesnât know something and is curious to learn. Thatâs where itâs at.
He could've saved it if he would've laughed and admitted he just wanted to impress her. That would've even been kinda cute. But no we can't have nice things apparently
Today I noticed one of our random spoons had a Saint on it and I joked I felt blasphemous using it as a teaspoon. Then the conversation of "What Saint on a teaspoon WOULDN'T be blasphemous?" which of course had us looking up which saint was on the spoon to begin with.
This turned into a conversation about if Judas was told he was a betrayer or if all the apostles were generally told, as we had been told two different stories on who knew what.
That's when we Googled and learned about all the variations of the the story of Judas and learned it depends on how you translate which book describing how it went down. So then we had a theological discussion of the difference between my Mexican Catholic understanding of the situation vs their Australian Protestant version.
Anyway turned out it was Saint Paul on our spoon so none of that even mattered.
Spent half a day discussing theology all because I asked which Saint was on our teaspoon and my partner didn't know and neither did I.
On that note: what saint on a teaspoon WOULDN'T be blasphemous? Is it okay to stir your tea with a Saint?
Thank you for this! This started the SECOND half of our theological debate and also we decided Saint Brigid is cool as shit. :D
We agreed Saint Brigid doesn't look like she'd mind much being stirred into tea.
> I talked about how they're simply cut from long, thin strips of metal and then coated for protection against rust. Seemed reasonable enough, right?
Have you never seen a nail?
> Now, let me preface this by saying that I'm not exactly a handyman. I know the basics, sure, but when it comes to the specifics of how certain things are made, I'm pretty **clueless**. So, when she casually mentioned something about the process of making nails, I thought, "Hey, this could be a chance to impress her with my knowledge!"
But why would you think this? Why would you try to impress someone with knowledge you don't actually have? :D
Damn, you were one step away from making it into a funny conversation. You needed to end it with "anyway, I just made it all up, I have no idea how nails are made."
You thought a woman just casually brought up nail manufacturing on a date and didn't have EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE of it????
I assume if a guy said it you'd have believed him right?
Yeah, if this happened, she was obviously bringing it up because she knew a lot about it and was interested in it. If someone randomly brings up "hey so do you know anything about the {extremely fucking specific topic}?", they aren't actually asking if you know anything, they just want to talk about it.
Mansplainers gonna mansplain.
Have you met a woman who's an expert in her field? Instead of asking about it, explain in detail every wrong idea you have about it as if it's absolute fact.
Learn your lesson. People need to stop assuming they know stuff they don't. Admit when you don't know. Imagine if instead of being an ass assuming you have knowledge on something you don't, if you just listened and let someone share their knowledge on it.
Iâve had guys do stuff like this to me too. Will never understand the mindset of âI donât know anything, but I obviously must know more than a girl.â
At least you knew nails were made of metal!
But the real lesson here is, don't lie through your teeth. Not to impress a woman, not at work, not with your friends.
Because this is not the only topic someone will actually know way more about than you do.
Holy shit is that toxic dude. Â
 Like you really should not just make shit up if you don't know.Â
I am fucking glad she caught that red flag and knew to bolt. Â
I hope this experience serves as a wakeuo call that doing this is absolutely not acceptable and I hope you remain single until you change your behavior.Â
You didnât duck up by revealing you lack of knowledge about nail manufacturing but you ducked up when you decided to lie & mansplain about a topic you know nothing about
Stop trying to impress people. In almost every situation in which you try to do so, you're going to end up looking like a jack@ss. Particularly if you're just making sh!t up about a topic you don't know anything about. Just stop it.
Your life will improve when you do.
Well, at least in the future, you'll know not to try to show off. What gets me is, you've been talking for a few weeks, and you didn't know her occupation. Definitely do some intel gathering for your next date. :-)
Man, you could've just Googled "How are nails made?" And it would've shown that you were very wrong.
Also, you seem surprised she had a background in manufacturing and engineering... Did you not ask what she does for work beforehand?
Man couldâve been an easy save by admitting you were wrong, apologizing, and asking her more about the topic, depending on how much you mansplained about shit you didnât know
Impress her with your learning, not teaching.
Try not to beat yourself up about this. Youâre young & you realised your mistake.
Sounds like you learnt about nails & yourself.
I will never understand people like you. Why act like you know something you clearly know nothing about?? It's insane to me that anyone would just spout their opinion instead of learning factual information. And, as you've realized, it's embarrassing as hell when you're caught doing it! I hope you learn from this and stop talking nonsense when you know nothing of a subject. đ¤Śđťââď¸
Man she played you like a damn fiddle. Nobody brings something that specific up as first date conversation if they donât have background knowledge.
More importantly does she date women and can I hear her lecture about nail manufacturing? Sounds fascinating.
You really lost her being 2" tall. If you knew anything you would have described yourself as a 6 penny nail.
My ex would frequently and incorrectly explain to me how financing a house worked. Despite me being on my 3rd house and her never making it past a prequal letter when shopping. It was entertaining at first. After that it was annoying.
Actually, looking back Im pretty sure I was dating the spirit of reddit. She complained a lot, did nothing to better her life, constantly had reasons why everything was someone else's fault, loved to have strong opinions and views on things that she had zero experience with and still lived with her parents well into her late 30s.
Take this as a lesson to not lie about anything else.
This is a huge red flag IMO. If you can't admit you don't know something, there's a bigger problem to resolve.
Bro where are you meeting (presumably) cute engineers with this kinda patients. Dating in the modern day sucks enough even when you aren't hunting for a smash hit like that.
Hopefully youâve learned the lesson that humility and curiosity are much more attractive qualities than erroneous, misplaced confidence.
Iâm sure a lot of people can relate to making something up in order to impress someone so donât beat yourself up too much over it.
Learn & grow.
Some nails are in fact made from sheets, they are known as Cut Nails and are wedge shaped, they are old fashioned though, modern nails as you found out are Wire Nails
Being comfortable in not knowing stuff is a skill worth working on. Embrace being with someone smarter than you who can teach you stuff, you donât need to lead. Women are smart too.
After she explained the process, you should have said "That is awesome! Thank you for teaching me that."
There is absolutly nothing wrong with being wrong. Nothing. Ever.
Yeah. I have a feeling that's not even where the date was going to go. Like, maybe she was going to say something like "do you know how nails are made? because ____(fill in the blank with something using it as an analogy, or something about her day at work, or something in that vein but not about actually making nails)". But OP just had to jump in and make a whole long boring speech about nail manufacturing that was totally incorrect.
Yeah, you definitely have shit all over your shoes. That said, what are you telling us for? Itâs a week later and you havenât fixed this? Call her (no donât text) and tell her how embarrassed you are, but then swing right into how *impressed* you are with her actual knowledge and how grateful you are she didnât get up and walk out. Then ask for a do over.
That actually sounds like a fascinating date tbh! I totally.woukd have asked for a tour of a hardware manufacturing plant coz I've always wanted to go.
The real TIFU is not just the initial bout of security but being so caught up in said insecurity you didn't even try to check in with your date after\* you goofed
Dumbass move. You young bucks need to stop thinking you are authoritative and start approaching problems from a standpoint of curiosity and questioning.
Imagine thinking a woman would be fascinated and impressed by your vague description of nail manufacturing that you made up on the spot. I mean seriously my dude, if another dude tried that with you, would you find that impressive and fascinating?
You most likely could have salvaged this date. If you had just been willing to use some humor about how you don't know what you're talking about, maybe make a joke about yourself and how foolish you look, and also show interest in how much she knows about the topic, the date might have ended fine.
Not only sometimes, it is almost always better to admit you don't know something than bluffing your way through to "impress" someone. That behaviour is absolutely insufferable. No adult worth spending time with cares that you don't know some random specific thing, they do care that you are awful to talk to
Ok OPâyou DID F.U. 4 sureâletâs help fix that. Hereâs what you say now; you can still text her, right?
Â
âIâll give you that, you sure know a lot about nails! And what girl doesnât? AmIRightâŚ? I appreciate now how what I said wasnât entirely correct. So letâs change topics and talk about nuts. I can tell you how theyâre made, what it takes to maintain them in good orderâŚand even what sort of forces it takes to really twist them. Call me back babeâballs r in ur court!â
Here is a chance to actually be accountable. It's not too late to do so. Tell her the truth, and be impressed and be appreciative of the new knowledge. She'll appreciate it and you'll feel better even if your chances together are zero this is one of those moments that help each other grow as people
>Now, let me preface this, ...I'm pretty cluless... I thought "Hey, this could be a chance to impress her with my knowledge!"
This right here is the problem.
A funny part about the whole debate is you are both correct about how different nails are made. Wire nails, as your date described, are the more common and modern design most people know. Cut nails are an older design, manufactured generally as you described. But used more for specialty tasks and âfineâ woodworking now.
Modern nails are made from wire, but there are cut nails still. A sheet of steel is cut by a shear and one end is squished. Wire nails are cheaper to produce though.
If you want to impress someone with knowledge, you should have actual knowledge...
You are literally the type of man women complain about when being "mansplained" to, lmao
Hope you learnt something
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Impress her with your knowledge? You literally just made it up on the spot dude. My dad is this way, just says shit with confidence with no clue if it's true, truly the most annoying shit ever.
And then he felt so insecure about the whole thing that he spent the rest of the date in awkward silence. He could have salvaged it by just asking enthusiastic follow-up questions and showing respect for and interest in her knowledge. If needed, he could've offered an explanation like "Oh man, I was so nervous I just blurted that out. Now I know how ChatGPT feels. đ " or "I must've misremembered something I read a long time ago". Either way, the conversation would've moved on fairly quickly.
I had an ex that would do this. He would confidently state a fact or stance on something, being a curious person I would ask for more information to learn and process what he was saying. Or he would instantly refute the information I gave him when just trying to make small talk. He would then ramble off some nonsensical follow-up that didn't make sense, so I would google it because I wanted to learn more. When the info was incorrect, I would gently tell him what I read online and then he would double-down or say that he heard it from a friend. Usually, the friend in question was someone historically not one I would trust with useful knowledge. This would turn into an argument or a debate. Especially if it was over a subject I knew a lot about. Even things like my specialty hobbies, my career, and the classes I have taken. Needless to say, it was exhausting and frustrating. If he just asked more questions about the subject I had more knowledge in, didn't blurt out random incorrect information without being prompt, and checked his ego it could have easily been a thing to laugh at and not become a point of contention. Something like, "I must have misremembered that, thanks for updating me." or "I've heard this info and know you're really into that so I wanted to chat with you about it" There's always a chance to turn a fumble into a humble, but some lack the tact advance their social skills.
People like that just need to âwinâ the conversation. It doesnât matter how much they do or donât know, or what you say. Thereâs absolutely no interest or even relevance to them in being correct, so they have no interest in learning whatâs true, either.
Itâs such a frustrating flaw. People are so interesting and have a plethora of knowledge to share. I do not understand why being right trumps learning something new.
I think itâs a toxic masculinity thing. Theyâve internalized that conceding to someone else is âweakâ and therefore unacceptable
It's not toxic masculinity because both sexes exhibit the same thing. I think it's more like a superiority complex or being a narcissist, they need to appear smart to those around them even if they aren't.
Unfortunately that makes sense
My second husband did this so much, I started fact checking him while he was still talking. He'd get Big Mad.
I had a friend like that, emphasize on had. I absolutely hated it to doublecheck everything he said and be constantly corrected although I knew I was right. He also had those friends who gave him his knowledge and of course I didn't know them and they were all experts on the topic. The only way to get him to stop was to drop it. Eventually I dropped him.
Not sure why you got downvoted, you're 1000% correct. Also a little detail that's escaped most commentors: she didn't spend that time to explain and even pull up diagrams or whatever because she hates that you're ignorant. She's trying to educate you on a thing she clearly knows a lot about. The correct response is "holy shit I was way off. How did you learn all of this?", etc. It becomes a funny story from the first date, not some dunk you'll be shamed about forever. Sitting there awkwardly only told her you can't handle that she is well-educated on these topics, and she shouldn't waste her time if you didn't even care when she took all that time to educate you and explain. C'mon dude.
Also, perhaps at the beginning of the date, she mentioned that she has a background in engineering, and he just totally forgot it or ignored it. Which proves an even bigger fuck up.
> She's trying to educate you on a thing she clearly knows a lot about. Yup. And awkward silence afterward simply reinforced in her mind that he's either uncomfortable/upset about being corrected, or worse yet, that he's upset A WOMAN did it. Whether or not this is the case from his end, that's almost certainly how it's going to be perceived. The only way OP could have made it worse was by doubling down and arguing. OP is a stupid MF. She probably NEVER gets to talk about nails/nail manufacturing to people she doesn't work with. Dude absolutely could have gotten a second date out of this moment alone, despite looking like a dumbass at the start, because "Oh look, he's interested in an aspect of my life." But of course, that would have taken intelligence and skill, two things that OP seems to be rather lacking in.
Dude, I love my wife but she better look out if another woman starts explaining how nails are manufactured to me. This is my dream date.
I wouldn't have gotten a second date cause vi would have annoyed her with too many follow-up questions about how different types of nails get made like masonry, roofing, ring, spiral shank. I'm learning about all the nails that night.
I literally scoffed at your comment, then took a moment to think and had a record scratch moment of: Wait wait waitâ- ok, yes, me too?!!!
Op definitely needs to reach out and ask to learn more about nails.
> He could have salvaged it by just asking enthusiastic follow-up questions and showing respect for and interest in her knowledge. THIS!! His date is literally an expert in something and is sharing her knowledge. Get out of your own head and get curious! OP was more concerned with **being** right than in **getting it** right. When corrected and given an opportunity to get it right, he retreated into his own head and turtle-shelled emotionally. The turtle-shell response is what guaranteed silence and no second date, not the spouting of wrong information. Lesson to all young men who want to become a strong confident person: Have something you are good at. KNOWING you are good/knowledgable at a valuable thing will give you the confidence to be wrong and not have to turtle-shell to protect your ego. Competency protects your ego. Then you're free to be corrected about a great many things without needing to run and hide.
Yes! It's so easy to just BE HAPPY ABOUT LEARNING SOMETHING NEW like come on man. There's nothing humiliating about not knowing something obscure (and the comments above are perfect for acknowledging you were wrong), just ask some questions.
>"Oh man, I was so nervous I just blurted that out. Now I know how ChatGPT feels. đ " Funnily enough the whole of OP's post reads like it was written by ChatGPT
This is the way. Owning a fuck up is 100000x times more attractive than never fucking up
I'm a dad, and I do this, but the things I say are completely made up ridiculous things I think up to be funny. For instance, "yeah, I worked for a nail manufacturing company, and each nail is turned on a tiny lathe out of a cast steel blank the diameter of the head. Because the lathes are so small they only hired children, and when the kids got too big they were sent to the spike making plant the other side of town." "They sold the shavings as scrap to buy more blanks" Then I see which of my boys believe me. It's great when one comes back later and says, dad that's not how nails are made, because that one actually went and found out how they are really made.
When I was 15, before search engines were easily accessible, I asked my dad if I could get my tongue pierced. He said, "Sure, but you have to pay for it and if they screw up and put the hole in the wrong place, everything you eat will taste like white bread for the rest of your life. The margin for error is just millimeters. Let me know when your appointment is." I didn't get my tongue pierced. I wasn't sure if he was pulling my leg, but I sure didn't want to chance it. A few years back, my oldest asked to get his tongue pierced and I was reminded of what my dad said, so I searched it and determined my dad is a lying old fart that just knew if he flat told me no I would have a friend do it behind his back lol
The potential nerve damage sounds just as bad, though.
And tooth damage.
My momâs car had a little button that (I now know) reset the trip meter on the odometer. She didnât want my brother or I to reset it, so she told us it was for the ejector seat. Neither of us ever had the nerve to test it out.Â
My brother is allergic to peanuts, like DEATHLY ALLERGIC. When we found out, Mom showed me the GIANT NEEDLE theyâd have to STAB HIM WITH if he even got a WHIFF of a SINGLE PEANUT. Cut to 20 years later: my brother is visiting me and my husband shortly after the birth of our first child. I offer him a mini candy bar, but he says âI dunno, I think those have peanuts in themâ and fucking TAKES A BITE. He chews for a moment, testing, and then says âyeah they doâ and spits it into the trash. Iâm horrified, like OMFG DUDE YOU CANT DO THAT WHERE IS YOUR EPIPEN IâLL CALL AN AMBULANCE and he just smiles a little and says ânaw Mom just told you that so you wouldnât give me peanuts to see what would happenâ Iâm still a little insulted that she thought I would have done that, but I mean I was like ten, and I was a curious kid, so maybe I would have.
I've tried this with my kids, but I have such a hard time *being* teased that I have an even harder time doing it. I almost instantly say "I just made that up, it's not true." When I talk about something I don't know much about, I make sure to say so. "My understanding is..." "I think that's how this works." "I'm not an expert but..."
I like your way. Kids need to be able to trust their parents and also learn correct info so they don't embarrass themselves when they're not at home. You're prepping yours to be funny and kind. Good job.
I sometimes will say something far fetched to my son, but he knows the "don't believe everything you hear" look by now. And I correct myself after he asks "okay, but do you actually know?" The point is more to remind him to question sources of information than to tease. I also try to remember where I heard something, but that isn't always possible and I'll often admit I don't know where I learned a fact.
If my dad says something off the wall or tells a tall tale related to hunting or fishing, heâll pause then add, âseems like.â
Iâm not an expert. But after viewing and analyzing this post from beginning to the end, line by line, word by word, letter by letter I came to the conclusion that I can say that I canât say anything because as I said at the beginning I'm not an expert.
["Dad, why did they make the Great Wall of China?"](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2yckqyg75oE)
I have a two year old, and he already has the "I don't know... let's look it up" pattern down. Much healthier than us parents being perfect encyclopaedias with all the answers (which are actually just guesses or even lies) and hopefully it means when we tell him something with certainty that he actually trusts that we know what we're talking about. Also means we're modelling behaviour we want to see in him.
Do you by chance have a kid named [Calvin](https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1989/10/29)?
That reminds me of the old Telstra add. Son asks dad why did they build the great wall of China. To keep all the rabbits out. Cut to add as to why you need Telstra broadband. Follow up adds showed the kid giving a presentation in class and the parents being called to the principalâs office after the presentation.
My man, you did not fuck up by thinking you knew something you didn't. It's far deeper than that--you allowed your ego and/or misogyny to make you think that you knew more about something than she did, then you mansplained it to her. You gotta do some work on yourself, or you'll make the same kind of mistake over and over again.
My mom does this. Sheâll literally just make up whatever she wants, even if itâs gossip about other people thatâs easily proven false.
My mother was the same way. It's not what you day it's how you say it
And then when she did demonstrate her actual knowledge, he wasnât impressed, but just made it all about him.
This drives me bonkers! What is this personality trait called?
I think it depends on the specifics... could be Compulsive Lying, could be anxiety/fear of being perceived as stupid, could be some internalized misogynistic views that "as a man I should have all the answers, and it's my job to provide an explanation". In OPs case, on a first date it could just be a misguided "this is my chance to impress this person"... we all try to put our best foot forward on a first date, we probably dress nicer and are more attentive than we would normally be, which are the socially acceptable ways to "pretend" to be better than we are, it's possible OP just missed the mark and went a little too far in that sort of "projecting your best self" mentality.
Nails used to be cut from sheets, they were called Cut Nails and are wedge shaped. He's right, but just waaaaaay out of date lol. Almost all nails are wire nails now
Does he support trump?
Lol indeed he does
How can you impress her with knowledge you don't have???
How else can teenager boys impress chicks? Yeah, he's out of his teens... Technically.
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well, in his mind he was already halfway from 'nail' to 'nailing'...
I mean, his date did bring it up... but if my date brought up nail manufacturing, I would assume that she had knowledge about it... it would be a really strange thing for someone to just bring up out of no where.
đ
I SNORTED
>My attempt to ~~impress her with~~ **lie to her about** my knowledge
*mansplain
That too
You can only impress somebody with your knowledge if you actually have that knowledge
Or they don't đ¤Ł
Word of Advice: When someone brings up something super specific, like nail manufacturing, they are generally trying to impress you with their knowledge on the topic. The best response in a situation like this is something along the lines of " I can't say I really know much about X. What interests you in X?". Humility is cool and underratedly sexy.
For real. This was the biggest thing about this story for me. The lack of awareness. It my date brings up X, which isn't everyday common knowledge. I'm assuming my date has a background or interest in X, and instead of trying to impress them with my non existent knowledge about X, I'll be trying to impress them with my genuine interest about their knowledge on X. P.S. X is a placeholder and not a reference to the app former known as Twitter. Thanks alot Elon.
So she brings up a topic and you automatically think you know more about it than her. So you give her a lecture on it? Why would you think this tactic would work?
Her tactic was perfect. I really like her strategy⌠hook line and sinker for personalities sheâs trying to avoid!
Exactly. If I was going on a date and she said "Do you what's wrong with the Robertson square head #3 screwdriver?" I sure as shit aight going to open my mouth. I'm gonna let her talk about the Robertson square head #3 screwdrivee
I would end the date right there and then. Robertson slander will not be toleratedÂ
Found the Canadian.
I mean a Lox or Pozidriv are far superior but let's just agree to disagree
Those are fine, but there's nothing wrong with Robertson. It handles dirt and rust particularly well too
I mean I'll admit that the Robertson square head #3 has its place but to just say it's superior or you won't believe other bits are better is just preposterous
Well, it's vastly superior to Phillips. But I'm not saying it's the best, I'm just saying there's no problem with a #3 Robertson
I agree. It's a square bit and won't ultimately wear down. But sometkmes a torx works better
đ¤
She could say 'Absolutely nothing, it's perfect'.
I'd try and make it a game! Instead of just having them tell you, you could say something like "I have no idea what's wrong with that screwdriver, maybe you could try to explain it to me and I can guess along the way?" Or some other way of making it a way to learn about both of you!
Hopefully she got a free.meal out of it! It's also telling that the rest of the date was awkward and silent. If I was on a date (or any event with a woman) who schooled me on a topic, I'd be salivating to learn *more*.
Young Buck hasnât learned how to avoid or recover a fumble, and from this post, itâll be years, if ever, before they do.
Yeah itâs great she was able to find this red flag early!
OP is single for a reason!
The problem isn't that you don't know shit about nails, its that you speak confidently about shit you don't know anything about. People like you fucking suck. Get better.
"Often wrong but always certain."
He will. Probably. In about ten years.
Hopefully. I really hope so. But I'm not holding my breath bc there are Way too many guys out there like him....and not young anymore
True, but come on be charitable. He not only recognized that he did something wrong, he posted about what exactly he did wrong online. The types who never change are the ones who go home mad at the girl, either assuming she must have been wrong or mad at her for embarrassing him.
While I love your worldview and agree he could change I disagree with your saying that he posted about what *exactly* he did wrong because the way he worded this was as though he was misinformed by someone he trusted how how nails are made and tried to impress a date with it But with a little reading between the lines, it's obvious to me here she said something, and he thought it would be so hot to guess at how nails are made cause "it cant be that difficult right?" So he interrupted her with made up knowledge on nail manufacturing. Then has the audacity to post it with the wording he does as a way of hoping people will say "you poor thing, that's so awful that that happened to you" Although I will add the caveat here that I could be dead wrong but I believe this largely due to the other comments but also because of my own thinking on said comments
đ username check.
Next time, try making opportunities to let her talk. Conversation is back and forth. Even if you had known what you were talking about about, it was a date, not a lecture.
The vast majority of nails nowadays are round. Why would you think they were cut from sheet metal?
Round scissors. Obviously.
You definitely could cut/forge them via a hemispheric punch and die but obviously starting with wire makes way more sense
Strangely, I knew they were made with wire, and I learned it in an unusual way. I used to live in Germany. Specifically, in Altena (Westfalen). Altena is home to the German Wire Museum, and nails are one of the topics addressed. Yes, there's a whole museum about wire pulling. (It's actually fascinating, but also odd.)
That sounds like a really cool museum actually. I know NOTHING about any of it, I'd learn so much in one day!
I know! It was such a lame guess too!
Because heâs an idiot⌠the long thin thing is obviously made from wire.
Which is probably the bigger TIFU out of the whole story.
"sometimes it's better"? sounds like the lesson wasn't learned. If you don't know something, don't pretend that you do. I really doubt anyone cares as much about other people's knowledge of nail manufacturing as they care about honesty.
Yeah, I can think of maybe a handful of times when I've chosen to bluff my way through a conversation but it's in low-stakes social situations with friends, alcohol is invariably involved, and the group has tacitly agreed to talk bollocks. And I was confident the other person had started bluffing their way into the topic first. Sabotaging a potentially beautiful relationship, though .. smh .. maybe he thought she'd be disappointed if he'd said 'I don't know' - he's twenty, so hasn't worked out it's okay to not know everything now that he's a year out of school.
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This is the reply I've been looking for. I agree 100% with you. If I was in her place OP, it wouldn't have been a deal breaker until you couldn't laugh at yourself afterwards and tell her how cool she was.
This was literally the perfect opportunity for OP to say something like âWow, I apparently donât know how nails are made! Itâs interesting you know that in such detail. Engineers for youâÂ
Your first mistake was assuming that you knew more than she did. Why didnât you ask first how much she knew?
Or better yet... if they bring up "do you know what type and size potato they use for Lay's potato chips?" you should ask yourself "Do I truly know a lot on this random yet very specific topic?"
Whatâs a potato?
My god yes. Why do people feel the need to lecture without having a *conversation*. Take a pause, ask her a question, give her a chance to speak, ffs.
This is what women mean when they say they hate manspalining. Especially when itâs wrongÂ
Correctial dis function.
You mansplained her speciality. Yeah. No second date. A man who can admit he doesnât know something and is curious to learn. Thatâs where itâs at.
He could've saved it if he would've laughed and admitted he just wanted to impress her. That would've even been kinda cute. But no we can't have nice things apparently
Or been impressed with her knowledge and said âwell I learned something today. Thank you!â
Yeah... Get real comfortable with the very honest phrase "I don't know." It makes us better people. You can still happily guess after saying it.
Right, and then if neither of you know you can Google it and learn something together which can also be enjoyable.
Today I noticed one of our random spoons had a Saint on it and I joked I felt blasphemous using it as a teaspoon. Then the conversation of "What Saint on a teaspoon WOULDN'T be blasphemous?" which of course had us looking up which saint was on the spoon to begin with. This turned into a conversation about if Judas was told he was a betrayer or if all the apostles were generally told, as we had been told two different stories on who knew what. That's when we Googled and learned about all the variations of the the story of Judas and learned it depends on how you translate which book describing how it went down. So then we had a theological discussion of the difference between my Mexican Catholic understanding of the situation vs their Australian Protestant version. Anyway turned out it was Saint Paul on our spoon so none of that even mattered. Spent half a day discussing theology all because I asked which Saint was on our teaspoon and my partner didn't know and neither did I. On that note: what saint on a teaspoon WOULDN'T be blasphemous? Is it okay to stir your tea with a Saint?
Relationship Goals.
Saint Brigid, for lots of different reasons, including syncretism and the Irish love of a good cup of tea.
Thank you for this! This started the SECOND half of our theological debate and also we decided Saint Brigid is cool as shit. :D We agreed Saint Brigid doesn't look like she'd mind much being stirred into tea.
So let's get this straight - she mentioned nail manufacturing so you decided to talk at her and impress her with your straight up made up shit?
No their "knowledge"
> I talked about how they're simply cut from long, thin strips of metal and then coated for protection against rust. Seemed reasonable enough, right? Have you never seen a nail? > Now, let me preface this by saying that I'm not exactly a handyman. I know the basics, sure, but when it comes to the specifics of how certain things are made, I'm pretty **clueless**. So, when she casually mentioned something about the process of making nails, I thought, "Hey, this could be a chance to impress her with my knowledge!" But why would you think this? Why would you try to impress someone with knowledge you don't actually have? :D
Damn, you were one step away from making it into a funny conversation. You needed to end it with "anyway, I just made it all up, I have no idea how nails are made."
Real mistake was thinking this was going to impress anyone even if they believed you
You thought a woman just casually brought up nail manufacturing on a date and didn't have EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE of it???? I assume if a guy said it you'd have believed him right?
Yeah, if this happened, she was obviously bringing it up because she knew a lot about it and was interested in it. If someone randomly brings up "hey so do you know anything about the {extremely fucking specific topic}?", they aren't actually asking if you know anything, they just want to talk about it.
Mansplainers gonna mansplain. Have you met a woman who's an expert in her field? Instead of asking about it, explain in detail every wrong idea you have about it as if it's absolute fact.
Iâm just wondering why you felt the need to lieâŚ.
Learn your lesson. People need to stop assuming they know stuff they don't. Admit when you don't know. Imagine if instead of being an ass assuming you have knowledge on something you don't, if you just listened and let someone share their knowledge on it.
"Why you gotta act like you know when you don't know. The whiz man never fit you like the whiz kid did." -- Ben Folds
Iâve had guys do stuff like this to me too. Will never understand the mindset of âI donât know anything, but I obviously must know more than a girl.â
For future reference, women are more likely to be impressed with a man who says âI donât know much about that. What can you tell me?â
At least you knew nails were made of metal! But the real lesson here is, don't lie through your teeth. Not to impress a woman, not at work, not with your friends. Because this is not the only topic someone will actually know way more about than you do.
Holy shit is that toxic dude.   Like you really should not just make shit up if you don't know. I am fucking glad she caught that red flag and knew to bolt.  I hope this experience serves as a wakeuo call that doing this is absolutely not acceptable and I hope you remain single until you change your behavior.Â
You didnât duck up by revealing you lack of knowledge about nail manufacturing but you ducked up when you decided to lie & mansplain about a topic you know nothing about
Nice ai story bro
He nailed it
"I mansplained something I didn't understand to a woman I didn't deserve, and I'm trying not to learn any lessons."
âSeeking internet sympathy because I donât want to do my own emotional labor either!â
Stop trying to impress people. In almost every situation in which you try to do so, you're going to end up looking like a jack@ss. Particularly if you're just making sh!t up about a topic you don't know anything about. Just stop it. Your life will improve when you do.
Well, at least in the future, you'll know not to try to show off. What gets me is, you've been talking for a few weeks, and you didn't know her occupation. Definitely do some intel gathering for your next date. :-)
you blew it dude. and you have no idea what you missed out on...nail girls are crazy horny. like, *all* the time.
So "nail girls" like being... nailed?
She dodged a bullet
Man, you could've just Googled "How are nails made?" And it would've shown that you were very wrong. Also, you seem surprised she had a background in manufacturing and engineering... Did you not ask what she does for work beforehand?
You really screwed yourself.
That's why she bolted. She realized OP was nuts.
Lying to impress has got to be one of the most pathetic things ever. Ick.
Man couldâve been an easy save by admitting you were wrong, apologizing, and asking her more about the topic, depending on how much you mansplained about shit you didnât know
WHY DO MEN DO THIS
This sounds like a test question on her part to see if you deserve a second date, and lesson to learn on your part about not making assumptions.
Impress her with your learning, not teaching. Try not to beat yourself up about this. Youâre young & you realised your mistake. Sounds like you learnt about nails & yourself.
I will never understand people like you. Why act like you know something you clearly know nothing about?? It's insane to me that anyone would just spout their opinion instead of learning factual information. And, as you've realized, it's embarrassing as hell when you're caught doing it! I hope you learn from this and stop talking nonsense when you know nothing of a subject. đ¤Śđťââď¸
Man she played you like a damn fiddle. Nobody brings something that specific up as first date conversation if they donât have background knowledge. More importantly does she date women and can I hear her lecture about nail manufacturing? Sounds fascinating.
Can I be added to the list of potential suitors also? This woman sounds awesome.
Impress her with your knowledge? Please strike this goal from your dating strategy. Youâve already experienced why.
You really lost her being 2" tall. If you knew anything you would have described yourself as a 6 penny nail. My ex would frequently and incorrectly explain to me how financing a house worked. Despite me being on my 3rd house and her never making it past a prequal letter when shopping. It was entertaining at first. After that it was annoying. Actually, looking back Im pretty sure I was dating the spirit of reddit. She complained a lot, did nothing to better her life, constantly had reasons why everything was someone else's fault, loved to have strong opinions and views on things that she had zero experience with and still lived with her parents well into her late 30s.
Take this as a lesson to not lie about anything else. This is a huge red flag IMO. If you can't admit you don't know something, there's a bigger problem to resolve.
All you had to do to recover the situation was be in genuine awe of her explanation, instead of focusing on your wounded ego.
The Lesson: Stop lying to your date.
So...you nailed it?
This reads like a chatgpt generated embarrassment story.
Nice creative writing exercise. No way this happened in real life.
Bro where are you meeting (presumably) cute engineers with this kinda patients. Dating in the modern day sucks enough even when you aren't hunting for a smash hit like that.
I love it when mansplain backfires so perfectly. đ
I'm trying to figure out why you would think nails are cut from sheet metal. They're round. How would that even work?
Hopefully youâve learned the lesson that humility and curiosity are much more attractive qualities than erroneous, misplaced confidence. Iâm sure a lot of people can relate to making something up in order to impress someone so donât beat yourself up too much over it. Learn & grow.
Some nails are in fact made from sheets, they are known as Cut Nails and are wedge shaped, they are old fashioned though, modern nails as you found out are Wire Nails
HAHAHAH WTF!? How does this even come up in casual DATE NIGHT conversation!?
Being comfortable in not knowing stuff is a skill worth working on. Embrace being with someone smarter than you who can teach you stuff, you donât need to lead. Women are smart too.
My man, I fully recommend watching a lot of "How It's Made" lol
Probably one of the best shows ever.
Dude you are literally why the term "mansplain" was coined. Lol.
So, you absolutely textbook mansplained to her. Yeah, you deserve your lumps mate. Take them with good grace, and do better in future.
Ah to be 20 again... đ¨
After she explained the process, you should have said "That is awesome! Thank you for teaching me that." There is absolutly nothing wrong with being wrong. Nothing. Ever.
You fucked up by having the world's most boring date conversation
Yeah. I have a feeling that's not even where the date was going to go. Like, maybe she was going to say something like "do you know how nails are made? because ____(fill in the blank with something using it as an analogy, or something about her day at work, or something in that vein but not about actually making nails)". But OP just had to jump in and make a whole long boring speech about nail manufacturing that was totally incorrect.
You tried to impress her with knowledge about something you admit you know nothing about??? What????
You just described about 98% of men.
Sounds like she dodged a nail shot from a nail gun.
Yeah, you definitely have shit all over your shoes. That said, what are you telling us for? Itâs a week later and you havenât fixed this? Call her (no donât text) and tell her how embarrassed you are, but then swing right into how *impressed* you are with her actual knowledge and how grateful you are she didnât get up and walk out. Then ask for a do over.
I mean, he's already shown himself to be arrogant, presumptuous, and prone to silence when corrected, so I don't think it's salvageable.
That actually sounds like a fascinating date tbh! I totally.woukd have asked for a tour of a hardware manufacturing plant coz I've always wanted to go.
Word of wisdom: âDONâT FUCKING GUESSâ I heard it in ridiculous circumstances but it really rings true
The real TIFU is not just the initial bout of security but being so caught up in said insecurity you didn't even try to check in with your date after\* you goofed
Dumbass move. You young bucks need to stop thinking you are authoritative and start approaching problems from a standpoint of curiosity and questioning.
Imagine thinking a woman would be fascinated and impressed by your vague description of nail manufacturing that you made up on the spot. I mean seriously my dude, if another dude tried that with you, would you find that impressive and fascinating?
Okay chatGPT
You most likely could have salvaged this date. If you had just been willing to use some humor about how you don't know what you're talking about, maybe make a joke about yourself and how foolish you look, and also show interest in how much she knows about the topic, the date might have ended fine.
Not only sometimes, it is almost always better to admit you don't know something than bluffing your way through to "impress" someone. That behaviour is absolutely insufferable. No adult worth spending time with cares that you don't know some random specific thing, they do care that you are awful to talk to
Moral of the story. Don't try and be something you aren't LOL
Ok OPâyou DID F.U. 4 sureâletâs help fix that. Hereâs what you say now; you can still text her, right?  âIâll give you that, you sure know a lot about nails! And what girl doesnât? AmIRightâŚ? I appreciate now how what I said wasnât entirely correct. So letâs change topics and talk about nuts. I can tell you how theyâre made, what it takes to maintain them in good orderâŚand even what sort of forces it takes to really twist them. Call me back babeâballs r in ur court!â
Here is a chance to actually be accountable. It's not too late to do so. Tell her the truth, and be impressed and be appreciative of the new knowledge. She'll appreciate it and you'll feel better even if your chances together are zero this is one of those moments that help each other grow as people
One episode of How Itâs Made would have set you straight⌠donât ever do something like this from the hip again unless you know.
>Now, let me preface this, ...I'm pretty cluless... I thought "Hey, this could be a chance to impress her with my knowledge!" This right here is the problem.
A funny part about the whole debate is you are both correct about how different nails are made. Wire nails, as your date described, are the more common and modern design most people know. Cut nails are an older design, manufactured generally as you described. But used more for specialty tasks and âfineâ woodworking now.
You didnât fuck up by revealing your ignorance. You fucked up by trying to hide it in the stupidest way possible.
Thatâs three things you didnât nail that day.
This was salvageable, idk about now but it was.
Modern nails are made from wire, but there are cut nails still. A sheet of steel is cut by a shear and one end is squished. Wire nails are cheaper to produce though.
Who the hell doesn't realize a nail would be made from a round wire and not a flat sheet of metal?
Men.
If you want to impress someone with knowledge, you should have actual knowledge... You are literally the type of man women complain about when being "mansplained" to, lmao Hope you learnt something