Nothing to be sorry or embarrassed about. Every sparky scratches their head the first time they encounter it. As it turns out this is one case where technology (high impedance DVM) are not an improvement.
I have a story that should make everybody feel better about encountering this issue. I use a Fluke digital volt meter, btw.
One time I went to an old school building to fix a circuit not working. Someone had added a bathroom adjacent a second story office, and now all of a sudden one of the office plugs doesn't work. Surface mounted handy box, wired in mc that disappears into a plaster wall. Fluke tells me it has about 46 volts. Oh, ok. Just find the loose neutral. I just need to get behind that wall where the wire disappears. Not easy at all.
I find an access that takes me between the ceiling and floor above, make my way over to that area, and find a plumbing chase right where I need to be looking. Shine my flashlight down there and see a 1900 box with about three mc cables in it, one which goes through the plaster. Also see a couple of Romex cables in it going out to the bathroom light and plug. AHA. Some "Tommy Two-Twist" didn't pre-twist the wires when he landed those two Romex cables.
So I come out of the ceiling, go back to the office, and tear a hole in the plaster wall to get to that box. I'm laying on my stomach to reach far enough into the hole to get into to that box. By this time, I've got about three hours in it and haven't even opened the 1900 box yet.
So I struggle to get into that box. Take the lid off, and find three circuits in it. It was packed. Well, I'd better go turn off the breakers so that I can tear everything apart and make it up right.
I go to the panel and find that there's a breaker tripped. HUH ?!? Wonder what that goes to? Panel schedule says it goes to second floor office plug. HUH ?!?
My heart sank. Is that even possible for a tripped breaker to do that? No way, man. I'd never heard of such a thing. Man, if that fixes it, I'm gonna feel really stupid.
So I reset the breaker and go back up and test the plug. 123 volts. Ouch. Let me go turn the breaker off and check it again. Now I've got 46 volts again. Turn breaker on again, 123 volts again. Ouch !
Yeah, I felt pretty stupid alright. Now my next dilemma - explaining to my boss how I had just spent 4 hours to reset a tripped breaker, and ended up with a hole in a plaster wall. Dang it.
Went home and did some research after that. I will never forget it as long as I live