Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.

Ignorance is a starting condition everyone shares, differing only in the subject. The refusal is the part worth examining, because that is a choice and usually a defence: admitting a gap in front of others feels like losing standing, so people bluff and stay stuck. The bluff costs more than the gap ever did. Nobody remembers your question for long, and everybody notices the mistake.

Say the awkward words this week, in a room where you are supposed to know already. Ask the basic question you have been pretending to have answered. It usually turns out several other people needed it too.