I tend to mix with people of all ages and all levels of intellect and interest....I can eat with the queen of England or eat with a street beggar.....nobody is better than anybody else....they know or can do things u can’t....and the same with u....is it vice versa....the term....and have I spelt it correctly....lol....who knows....you’ll certainly know what I mean anyway....I did have my own made up philosophy....there are three jobs to aim for....teachers....they teach everyone.....surgeons....they repair everyone....and builders.....they build the buildings for teachers and surgeons....lol

Its just language. The struggle to understand each other can be frustrating. I try to remember everyone I meet knows something I don't.

I used to do in relationships and still do it at work all too often.

After a few blank looks when I speak properly, I just slip into the redneck slang I grew up around,

They all think I'm weird and slightly afraid of me any way since I use the name Lucy at work and laugh when people call me lucifer

I used to find it frustrating that a high school graduate like myself had to "dumb it down" to explain to a college grad why their car didn't work.

Maybe the people you're speaking down to know something you don't.

When I'm in public I try as best as possible to not get involved with dumbing myself down. I had a life time of that dealing with two legal drug abusing parents that shackled me about speaking up, but if I need to, I don't mind speaking my mind even if the other person is eventually found out to be a religionist of any sort.

Then and maybe only them would the 'shit hit the fan,' and something might come from it. Not sure whether it'd be positive or negative. Would have to go thru it to see what happens.

Don't dumb it down. Speak the way you feel comfortable. I enjoy using my brain here.

I do so intentionally. I have found, often to others dismay, that the less intelligent those around you believe you to be, the more you will discover about them. It is actually most entertaining.

It is frustrating but it is what it is. When I provide education for my patients, I'm supposed to address them at a fourth grade (Trump) level. I also had an ex accuse me of using big words to make her feel dumb. We graduated nursing school together. College educated and she didn't know what hyperbole was.

I am one of those people trapped in the greatness of my own head. Well, the flaw with that is that I am human. Humans are biologically limited. I am limited. I can only think so large. I can only live so long. I can only move so much. When I feel like I am surrounded by insects? I am the lowest cockroach.

Do I or have I purposely chosen words that are smaller and easier to grasp? yes.

Unfortunately, practice makes perfect and I have noticed I have lost some words.

Every day of my life. I was in court this morning helping a student, I had to go so slow for the duty solicitor, lead her through what we wanted, I think she was glad to be rid of me, made us the 1st case, the Magistrate accepted what I suggested and it was over in 10 minutes. My last big exec job, the MD kept making me spell thing out for everybody, including my peer managers, he just keep saying I push people too far too fast with new ideas, they take time to comprehend. WTF, on the salaries they were getting that was ridiculous. I work with many people who are intellectually challenged and have no problems at all, but when working with management committees and boards, I expect the people making the decisions to keep up. Yeah, life is frustrating. I read a book in the 60s, "Jeder Ein Genie" by an eccentric physicist Fritz Zwicky (honest) and a follow up by Robert Jungt "Der Jahrtausend Mensch" in which I came across the comment, "the world is not ready for millions of bright minds and continues to employ them below their capacity" or words to that effect allowing for my poor memory and the language difference.
I have not thought of that phrase for many years, until I read your post.

Write and speak to your audience on their level. It gets your point across and you avoid showing off.