Joke .. I always chuckle when folks say “Fuel burn at sea level”. Wouldn’t the sound of scraping metal be distracting. Joke over.
We all know what they really mean but the phrase is incorrect unless you are flying in Death valley or low level over parts of Holland.
I used to be amused at fellows who insisted on cruising at max continuous power in a bush machine. Overcoming all the drag from the skis, high skid gear, cargo hook, HF antenna and sometimes even a cargo basket gave them about a 4-5 knot speed increase vs cruising at perhaps 80% Q saving fuel and wear and tear on components. If you are on fixed floats the same thing applies.
Then there is the “ I don't want to fly high because VNE restrictions slow me down.” crowd. Obviously they were either mentally or physically absent from class the day TAS vs IAS was taught.