But it never hurts to be precise with my words, right? So let's try "I knew what he was referring to" instead of "I knew what he meant", which is too loose. I knew which part of my email prompted the response, but I didn't know what a lawyer sounds like because I've realized I never knew. Despite my best efforts on TOA, I have never had a conversation with a lawyer, at least in a strictly legal context, so I have no reference point as it regards a lawyer's speech. The closest I've come to hearing a lawyer is from popular culture, TV and movies, which is like saying I know what it's like to be in space because of Apollo 13. There have been odd instances where I've heard a lawyer in a snippet of courtroom footage, but these soundbites are never long enough for me to get more than a vague sense of what it sounds like to be a lawyer.
And yet, for a long time - at least two decades, probably longer - I knew what it meant to sound like a lawyer. My hunch is that I was similar to most people, who understand the reference - you sound like a lawyer. How many of these people really know what a lawyer sounds like? Based on what I know, they probably don't know. But what do I know? I understand doctors and nurses often feel misrepresented by TV portrayals, so at the very least I should have known better to believe TV. What else do I know because it was on TV? Too much, I fear, just like everyone else. I can't prove it, but it's what I know.
