Something I have done in the past to curb the player knowing more than the PC was to change the appearance or description to something unfamiliar. We all get ahead of ourselves sometimes and react to what we think is happening, it is a good lesson to relearn. The worst is a Nilbog, if any of you remember that fun little creature. But based off of that idea I have twisted many simple monsters to appear differently than they really are. The goblin with a stick has a little shock value if the stick is a wand of fireballs with a couple charges. Shapechangers come in handy at times also, giving unknown abilities to creatures. And even if you want to stick to the basic stats for encounters, change up the environment. A manual trigger on a trap, from pit traps to avalanches to spilled oil can create a totally different situation. These are things I have picked up after gaming so long with the same group of people who at times might know something, or remember something, that I do not. And they are things you do not have to do all the time, just once at the right time can make players think before acting for a long time.
As for the identification of said creature, it does seem to get used upon occasion, reminding them of the time involved tends to make them use it less often. And if you have modified a creature make sure you think about how that might impact an identification skill. I am not afraid to tell my players that they got mixed information, "Well it looks like a goblin, but something is different about this one". If they ask a pointed question I have been known to respond "Is gray area, try a different approach" (in a Russian accent for some reason).
It does seem that this topic was started by a player, so I hope I didn't give too much away. But as a player please understand that as a GM I personally try to make it fun for all involved, players and GM. To me going through the same routine over and over isn't fun, so I like to change things up and give you a surprise once in awhile. And it appears that you are learning from your mishaps, so keep up the good work and have some fun.