Have you ever found something that you can’t properly identify? If so, the good people at r/whatisthisthing on Reddit can help you.
There may be limits to what the internet can identify but if there are, I haven’t found them yet.
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“What is this brick pyramid/steps structure in the basement of historic house?”
This weird structure is a buttress or bulkhead wall. It’s basically an old-timey method of ensuring the wall doesn’t cave in from the outside.
“What is this plier-handled tool with gear-toothed rollers turned by a wing crank at the top?”
This is a highly-specialized tool indeed. It’s for crimping ribbons onto pillowcases, which doesn’t seem like something that needs its own tool.
“Buried metal plate found in side yard, stamped ‘Harvard.”‘
This is just a well head — the cap to an underground well. There’s no relationship with Harvard University that we can ascertain.
“A dart with a bent tip that looks like a textured Hershey’s Kiss?”
This dart thing is, strangely enough, just a toy. It’s from a Star Wars Tusken Raider set, and it’s known as a gaderffii .
You might also see it called a “Gaffi stick.”
“Metal disk with a screw back.”
This mystery was eventually solved. Apparently, the family’s toddler took the knob from a radiator and put it in the washing machine, because toddlers.
“What is this banister railing (on the left going up)?”
This appears to be a wine cellar built into the basement of a home. The weird banister is designed to make it easier to move kegs and cases around.
“What are these cutouts on the cover of my notebook?”
These cutouts are actually slots, designed for holding cards. Notebooks like this are known as pirate journals, or Jack Sparrow journals.
“What’s this thing I found on the floor of my bathroom?”
Plumbers probably already recognize this little widget as a diffuser. Put one of these in a faucet and it helps regulate and restrict the flow of water.
“Below the steering wheel in my work truck, is this a GPS tracker?”
The person who submitted this was correct with their guess. It’s a data or GPS tracker, which is just a tad creepy.
“Hefty metal tool (?) attached to a wooden plank.”
I would have guessed that this was farm equipment or torture equipment, but it’s actually an (upside-down) vice grip for sharpening a hand saw.
“Kind of like a dreidel, but I can rotate both rungs.”
This thing is, in fact, a type of dreidel . It has dice dots on it, and the P and T stand for Put and Take.
“Wooden utensil with grape insignia.”
It looks like a bespoke didgeridoo, but it’s just a fancy ‘floating’ wine bottle holder. Mount it to the wall and stick the neck of the bottle in the hole.
“It’s metal and relatively flexible, but I feel at one point it would break.”
If you’ve ever worn a corset or a knee brace, you might recognize this thing as the ‘boning’ — essentially a flexible piece that adds stability.
“Bell thing that is not a bell at Michigan flea market.”
This bell thing is actually a cup thing, in that it’s a traditional German bridal cup . Unfortunately, it’s broken.
“Glass vase thing found in a thrift store.”
This is a specialized wine bottle commonly found in Catalonia, Spain. It’s designed to be poured directly into the mouth, which sounds fun.
“Concrete cellar/bunker found in Southern Illinois.”
This is something that’s somewhat common, in differing shapes and sizes, across the Midwest: a tornado shelter for a nearby home.
“Giant metal thing I found on the side of the road.”
It looks like some kind of anchor for a James Bond-style spy car, but this is just a decorative paperweight.
“Two spoons attached to a wooden handle at the thrift store.”
This is called ‘spoons’. No, seriously, it’s a musical instrument that’s known simply as ‘spoons’. Just shake it around and hear them clack.
“What is this box with a hole under the front bumper?”
If you’re wondering if this box is necessary, it definitely isn’t. That’s because it’s a…fog machine. Kind of a weird feature to include on a car.
“What would cause my friend’s lawn to look like this after the snow melted?”
These weird patterns in the lawn aren’t the result of snowfall. They’re vole tunnels. This person has a bit of a vole problem.
