I overheard two people talking about handball—one was from New York and the other one was from Europe. They seemed to be new business acquaintances. One asked the other if they had handball in their country.
This is what the American had in his mind:
It’s like racquetball without racquets.
This is what the European had in his mind:
It’s like soccer but you use your hands.
I wonder how often this happens between two people with other words, concepts, and adjectives.