Pre 9/11 I was flying out of Warsaw back to the US. A Delta security agent at the check-in counter read me pointed to a sign with a list of prohibited items - among them, batteries. She then asked if I had any of those in my carry-on and I said "no." Then she said "What do you have in there?"

As I started answering "magazines, shaver, watch..." she interrupted, "Do those items have batteries?" At that point I knew it was going to be a bad day. I got to go in the little private room and open up everything then explain why I did not confess to having batteries in the first place! It was all a little surreal.