Miscellaneous musings: Is it common, or just something you know?

First, I'd like to thank everyone who voted on the new badge for my street team. The second design won by a landslide. It's dark and mysterious, and since I write paranormal novels it's a good fit. If you'd like to learn more about my street team, click here.


And now onto today's post...

Being a writer has made me realize some things I thought were common really aren't. For instance, I had thought everyone knew what it meant to “have the TV watch you”, and it wasn't until I penned my first novel that I realized “anyways” was mid-western slang and most people said “anyway” without the “s”. (Just in case someone reading this doesn't know, the first is when you fall asleep in front of the television and now the television is watching you, instead of you watching it.)
And I chuckled when one of my CPs commented that my character drying the sink after washing dishes was an odd thing to do. My mom always dried the sink. Therefore I do, too. My character, however, ended up leaving it to air dry. (The horror! J )
Another saying that I've gotten so used to is “soup sandwich”. My husband will say this when someone (usually me) is doing thing out of order or is all over the place. I’d gotten so used to the saying that I said it to a group of friends only to have them pause and ask me what I’d just said. Hubby has a few saying like this. I really should borrow them for my books.
This is one of the reason I love my critique partners, beta readers, and editors. If I put something in my novels that makes them stop reading, I know I either have to find a way to nonchalantly explain it or I need to change my wording.
Have you discovered that some of the things you do or say aren't as common as you thought?