24 Things Most People Pretend To Understand But Don't

    "I mean, I know the gist of it..."

    Adam Moerder
    by Adam Moerder

    BuzzFeed Partner Network Associate

    1. Modern Art

    Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

    "This piece really captures the essence of...sharks."

    2. Bitcoins

    pctechmag.com
    tinycartridge.com

    "These two things are basically the same, right?"

    3. New Yorker Cartoons

    William Hamilton / Via condenaststore.com

    "Uh...it's funny because they're rich?"

    4. The Actual Meaning of the Word "Irony"

    cdandlp.com

    "I'm just gonna keep using it as a synonym for 'funny.'"

    5. Fine Wines

    reddit.com

    "Ah, yes, I believe I'm getting an oaky hint of...alcohol."

    6. Fantasy Sports

    reddit.com

    "You mean that thing where you control these little imaginary players and use them to fight against your friends every week? Yes, I've heard of it."

    7. Artsy Movies

    AFI / Via spectrumculture.com

    "It's like, um...a metaphor...for our modern society..."

    8. Investing

    feastoffun.com

    "Let's see, I need some stocks, some bonds, a 401(k), and...a pool of gold coins?"

    9. Buddhism

    38pitches.com

    "It's basically a religion based on chillaxing."

    10. Obamacare

    thanks-obama.tumblr.com

    "Yay! We all get free health care now...maybe?"

    11. Trendy New Music Genres

    generationbass.com

    "Nu gaze? Yeah, totally! Witch house? Sure, awesome! Seapunk? OK...that one sounds made-up."

    12. Computer Viruses

    doblelol.com

    "Pretty sure I got this virus because of a chain mail I didn't forward to 10 of my friends."

    13. Super PACs

    mentalfloss.com

    "It's an organization, right? Or a person? Or...a law?"

    14. How Cars Work

    Universal / Via instructables.com

    "The carburetor is connected to the accelerator, which is connected to the...flux capacitor?"

    15. Doing Taxes

    egotvonline.com

    "I'll let TurboTax worry about it."

    16. Beer

    reddit.com

    "If I keep talking about hops and barley maybe no one will realize how drunk I am."

    17. Fracking

    Spencer Platt / Getty Images

    "I'm not sure what it is, but I know it sucks."

    18. Monsanto

    epiclol.com

    "Pretty sure this also sucks."

    19. BioShock Infinite

    gameinformer.com

    "It's like Super Mario Bros. but...bigger."

    20. Sigmund Freud

    reddit.com

    "You are feeling all these feelings because sex."

    21. Higgs Boson

    anthro-punk.tumblr.com

    "I'll just nod and say 'I mean, it's the God particle...' over and over and over."

    22. CrossFit

    reddit.com

    "Oh, that's that cult where everyone jumps around and throws medicine balls at each other, right?"

    23. The Economy

    reddit.com

    "The economy would be fine if those clowns in Washington would just make some more jobs and we balanced our supply and demand and...freakonomics..."

    24. How the Internet Works

    livebyquotes.com

    "To be fair, I don't know if my answer would've been any better."