Whether it’s out in the street or a relative’s forgotten closet, we’re bound to find something that we can’t identify at some point.
And if nobody around us knows what it is, it’s not like we can usually google a vague description of what we’ve come across. Sometimes that actually works but it doesn’t happen reliably enough that we can bank on it.
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However, Reddit’s r/whatisthisthing community has a significantly better track record and, as these people found out, they can work surprisingly quickly in their quest to give you the right answer.
Might seem like a golf ball, but the community begged to differ
And soon enough, somebody was able to fill them in on what that something was.
Specifically, it’s one of the balls that are normally tethered together and thrown at a stand in a ladder ball set in the hopes of getting the rope to hang off one of the bars.
As you might have guessed, it works best as a lawn game.
The Volkswagen Golf 7’s contraption was connected with orange wires
And while users were dubious about how effective and safe it is, they were able to identify it as a system that’s supposed to repel any animals that crawl into the engine.
Sometimes the most puzzling items can have the simplest purposes
For instance, here we have some small metal pieces with a sort of honeycomb pattern. While they look pretty mysterious, it turns out they’re just used to hang picture frames.
An old house with some old units bolted to the wall
In this case, we’re looking at one intended to hold a broom and dustpan. But since it didn’t fit the ones that the uploader owned, the only option was to take it down.
The curious case of the rubber hook
This is usually seen in a car because it’s a seat belt grabber used to help those with mobility issues reach their seat belts.
It’s easy to see how the uploader would be stumped while trying to figure this one out
Fortunately, their observation that this device had an ocular piece that doesn’t zoom in turned out to be a pretty major clue.
That’s because this is a sight that goes on a bow.
Antiques can show us how people used to handle annoying tasks
Of course, that requires actually figuring out what we’re looking at first. And in this case, that turns out to be a tool used to separate large stacks of paper.
Apparently, it is missing an L-shaped piece that’s supposed to go into that slot, though.
If you find this, it’s likely that its owners recently took a trip to Ikea
That’s because it’s apparently used to tighten the drain when you buy a sink from that company.
And since there’s a chance you might have to do that more than once, it makes sense that somebody would keep it around.
The uploader had done a pretty good job of ruling out what it wasn’t
For instance, they knew it wasn’t a security camera because those were also clearly in this parking lot.
And since none of the devices that looked like this emitted any light at night, that couldn’t be their purpose either.
With so many items eliminated, that made it easy for commenters to land on the right answer: This is a wifi antenna.
This ceramic figure confused the uploader but they wanted to know its purpose
Generally speaking, they soon learned that this is a collectible known as a Toby jug that the firm Wood and Sons made throughout the 20th century.
Although some of these functioned as teapots, others were used as creamers and others still were used as pitchers. Which function they had depended on how big they were, with the smallest Toby jugs being the creamers and the largest being the pitchers.
A potential Masonic inscription
However, not only did someone claiming to be a Freemason not recognize this, but someone else pointed out that the fact this was in a clock case was a particularly important detail.
That’s because these markings are used by watch and clock makers to signify its maker and location of origin, as well as which repairs and adjustments had been made to it. This code lets future clockmakers know what they’re dealing with here.
Although these are clearly pliers, their purpose is still obscure
Indeed, these pliers are specifically designed for pulling hot pans out of pizza ovens.
Since this was in their now-deceased grandfather’s truck, it left them wondering if he used to make pizza during his time working at a gas station.
The Olivia Riegel mystery
If you’re wondering what its purpose is, you might be interested to know that it’s already fulfilling it.
That’s because it’s a dealer display sign that goes in a given store. So its job is essentially to show off Riegel’s name.
The weirdly placed orange magnets
Surprisingly, they’re here to attach to the ceiling of a microwave when this lid isn’t being used to cover food.
Yes, it’s normally true that magnets have no business in a microwave, but these are apparently ceramic ones that actually belong there. I’m having a hard time believing that too, but that’s the word.
The uploader wanted to verify that this was part of an alarm system
And while it’s not unheard of for landlords and Airbnb owners to secretly install cameras to spy on their tenants, commenters in this case confirmed he was telling the truth.
This is indeed a motion sensor for an alarm system.
A tube at the side of the road in California
Nonetheless, that apparently didn’t stop people from quickly identifying this as a foot peg that belongs on a motorcycle.
Not only that but they deduced that it was intended for the passenger as the rider would otherwise notice that it came off in transit.
A friend found this case on a trail behind her house, alongside a hammock setup.
This led the uploader to suspect someone had been using that trail for hunting and the confirmation that the upper space is supposed to fit a spotting scope while the bottom space accommodates a night vision device indicated they were right.
A few cobbled mounds aroused their curiosity
And it seems that they serve a couple of purposes — firstly, to cover old tree trunks after they’ve been cut down, and secondly, to discourage people from parking their cars where they’re not welcome.
A guy pushing an unexplained rig up and down a field
Well, that cart appears to be holding a magnetometer, and so he’s likely doing a magnetic survey of the property — although for what purpose is unknown. It could be archaeology, and it could be for construction.
These slotted spoons, “about the size of a teaspoon,” baffled the uploader
And unless you’re a true corn-on-the-cob connoisseur, chances are you don’t recognize these, either. Called “The Butterer,” the idea is to scoop up some butter on one of these spoons and then use it to spread it evenly over your steaming hot corn.
Fell out of a dad’s record sleeves and the uploader suspected mischief
However, it turns out that this was just an old drapery hook that’s likely supposed to go in a pleated curtain.
So unless the dad found some weird DIY use for it, it probably just fell into the record sleeve from the curtains.
Wood pieces attached by a strap washed up on a beach in Oregon
And they do look quite random. But there is a reason this contraption would be on a beach: it was most likely used to chock the wheels on someone’s boat trailer before ending up in the water.
A canvas bag with a wooden grate on top
And it’s no surprise that this presentation would be particularly confounding because it’s a fishing creel. An angler would normally use one of these to hold their catch, but this one is done in a more decorative, less practical fashion.
A tiny thing was found outside the uploader’s apartment door
“It was obviously a tool but I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what it was for. There’s nothing around my apartment corridor on the walls and it was on my mat,” they explained.
This little thing is a specialized tool for testing emergency lights, so likely a building custodian dropped it there at some point.
Previous owners of the house left this contraption behind for the uploader
They don’t make ’em — or market ’em — like this anymore, because this device is an old toy “Atomic Power Plant Steam Engine.” We have to assume it didn’t actually come with radioactive fuel, but apparently, it can really produce steam somehow.
“Found in friends laundry, son says it’s an Advil container from a gas station.”
As commenters soon confirmed, that explanation turned out to be a lie but not one that worried his mom as much as it could have.
While she was concerned that he was doing something illegal, it turned out that he bought something with a similar active ingredient to Viagra.
That should tell you all you need to know.
What looks like a lighthouse but is definitely not a lighthouse?
Spotted near Nassau in The Bahamas, this structure was once part of a tourist attraction/aquarium called Coral World. Unfortunately, the site suffered severe damage from a hurricane in 1999 and it has since been left to rust away.
