I was on the phone with grandma as a little kid, when I said to her: 'I made this!' and proudly waved around a set of paper doll clothes I had painstakingly cut. Grandma laughed and said she does not know what I had, I would have to explain her. Many years later I discover in work life, just how common it is to people to refer to 'this thing' when they describe a technical problem to me, except I have no context for that support call out of the blue. They also love getting angry when I don't understand what we're talking about. The should talk to my late grandma.