20 Useless Facts You Probably Didn’t Need To Know

9. Germans Call Butterflies 'Milk Thieves'

It's difficult to ascertain whether there's any truth to the age-old idea that butterflies were originally called 'flutterbyes'. Some say it's true, others say it isn't and point to a lack of evidence in the Oxford English Dictionary.

One thing that's certainly true is that some regions in Germany refer to the humble butterfly as a milk thief. The actual term for this is 'milchdieb', and it comes from people watching the insect land on bowls of butter or milk that were left uncovered.

Why this repeatedly happened to the point of giving the butterfly a new name is anyone's guess. Some in Germany also call the butterfly a 'schmetterling' or 'butterfliege', both of which are far more entertaining names than milchdieb.

You steal milk one time and nobody ever gets over it.