Under the impression

(Written years ago, cleaned up slightly)

When people make a guess or an assumption, they sometimes say that they are 'under the impression' that it is or was true.

"Well, I was under the impression that Terrence had genital herpes when I told twelve people."

It sounds so passive, like the person is a victim of their own opinions; I imagine a naked, obese, mentally retarded man with IMPRESSION written in finger paint across his chest, sitting squarely on the thinker. The thinker is not responsible for what goes on, because the impression has all the power. It sounds far too honest and vulnerable to say 'I assumed that' or 'I guessed that.' People are generally under the impression of something when they're later being given shit for thinking it. But when their thoughts are confirmed, they'll often say 'I thought so' or even 'I knew it.'