There are a lot of mysteries out there in the world. And no matter how small those mysteries are, there are people committed to solving them. I am, of course, talking about mysteries that are literally very small.
Like the tiny objects in this list. People needed help figuring out what they were, and the internet delivered. Don’t you just love when things work out like that?
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“Found in a wall cavity between exterior siding and interior drywall.”
Yeah, the weird thing in this tiny cavity in the wall is probably exactly what you’re expecting it to be. Confirmed by a whole bunch of Reddit comments, this is, in fact, the remnants of a wasps’ nest. Here’s hoping they aren’t still there.
“Small metal rod with hole in one end, fell out of clothing.”
OP figured it out for themselves, actually. This is part of an earring that had broken while they were out and about. Sometimes you end up having the answers to your own mysteries, I guess.
“Wooden box containing small metal pieces with images on…also contains thin brass pieces of various lengths.”
A bunch of comments narrowed these tiny blocks down to some kind of printing items, but Redditor banannafreckle is the one who gave us a proper name for them. They’re letter presses.
“Panda metal hook that has a flat surface, about 6 inches or 15 cm.”
Turns out this mystery wasn’t so mysterious. As BeetlejuiceBride1984 pointed out, it’s just a bookmark. A very cute, very metal bookmark, but one nonetheless.
“Looks like a substantial skeleton key, but shape of handle and small wheel at end says it’s not. Handle is such that you hold between thumb and forefinger and using the wheel.”
This tiny tool has been asked about enough times that people knew how to answer without hesitation. It’s a glass cutter. My guess is that it cuts glass.
“Similar to a zip tie. About 4” long.”
Reddit user TangentOutlet linked a video that shows how this thing works. Basically the long pieces at the end go into a drill hole in a wall, and help keep something hanging on the wall nice and secure. It’s kind of like an anchor, but different.
“Pottery bought in Mexico. Had a hole at the bottom as well as through the center shaft, thus could not hold water.”
There were some different answers here, like incense holder. But it looks like the right answer (which the majority of the comments were pointing to) is that it’s an antique Mexican jewelry holder. How cool!
“What is this thing? Looks like a mouse with strange buttons.”
To me, it looks like some kind of walkie-talkie or a baby monitor. But OP figured it out, with the help of the Reddit comments. It is, in fact, a portable radio. Looks like I was pretty close.
“It looks like some kind of a latch. That wire part moves but it can’t rotate all the way around, that big metal corner doesn’t fit through.”
Reddit user jackrats called this thing a “pull down latch.” And a bunch of other comments backed that up, saying it’s one of those latches that are used to close glass jars. Yep, now I can see it.
“This is on my apartment door. On the inside of the door is the metal thing with the knob thing sticking out and on the other side of the door is a lock.”
Without a doubt, this is some kind of lock. Some commenters called it a fox lock, with Redditor ufc205nyc actually explaining how it works: A metal bar goes in a hole in the floor and gets stuck in the slot on the back of the door and then you slide it to the left.” Interesting.
“Was filling up my car, and this was on top of the pump station outside. It’d say about 2 inches tall with what looked like tar or syrup. Any ideas?”
I don’t know about you, but to me, it almost looks like part of a lighter…
Well, I was close. According to the Reddit comments, it’s a cartridge for an electronic cigarette. Go figure.
“Our cat loves this ring. It’s made of rubber and has a diameter of roughly 3.5 centimeters. We’d like to get some spares.”
To be fair, this little ring could be literally anything. But Reddit user scotty_beams identified it as a rubber gasket, one that was most likely used for some kind of washbasin. Well, as long as the cat likes it.
“Vintage Electrical Circuit (?) Component found in abandoned Railroad switching house along Little Miami River Bike Trail (rail trail). Metal, glass and ceramic tube.”
Well, OP was right about this one being some kind of electrical component. It didn’t take long before the Reddit comments got flooded with people identifying this very tiny item as a high voltage fuse.
“Clear plastic, spring mounted clip for something. The two circles align when you squeeze the clip.”
“This reminds me of the plastic clip that goes on the loop of some blinds…” Reddit user Rawkish said. “Maybe a rope is fed through the two circles and it can be a moveable anchor that releases the rope when squeezed?”
And of course, this is the right answer.
“Very small yellow plastic cutting device. Has a website name on it but it has been scratched off partially. ‘Lift to cut’ on the swinging arm’s handle which is also removable.”
It always helps when other people have these things in their own homes. Reddit user sendleaves knew this one right away:
“I have one of these that came on a package of Weed Wacker cord. It’s for cutting the cord.” That was easy.
“Found this on the ground. It clips both on the central joint and on the 2 outside joints. The plastic feels like it was 3D printed, but the design looks more like a mold.”
A few Reddit commenters had the right answer for this thing. It’s the squeezing mechanism for the inside of a super glue tube. How it ended up on the ground is a whole different mystery, though.
“Found this in a bunch of tools, it’s one solid piece of metal, nothing moves.”
Reddit user PKDickman once again came through with the right answer. It’s a “setting tool for lead anchors.” In other words, it’s some kind of hardware bit that most of us will probably never use in our lives.
“Weird tracker looking thing. Found in a cup holder.”
According to the Reddit comments, this thing is, in fact, a tracker. But don’t worry, it isn’t for any dangerous or nefarious reason. It’s the kind of tracker used by insurance companies to monitor safe driving practices. For lower rates and stuff.
“What is this thing? It was delivered with our clams. It’s light blue/purple, squishy and covered in sand.”
This is a bit of a strange one. Reddit user raineykatz had the answer, though:
“Looks like a tunicate called sea pork. The purple kind is sometimes called sea liver.” I probably wouldn’t eat it, though.
“Foam like cloth material similar to a can coozie. Has snap closures on bottom. Part of package received as free attendee gift for attending Zoomtopia 2021.”
Believe it or not, this thing is used to hold wired earbuds. The snaps close on each other to create a little enclosure. According to Reddit user raineykatz, they’re usually called earbud tacos.
“Found in my apartment in a shady spot near a window. Too hard to crush, if that helps.”
Though these small pellets look kind of like peppercorns, I wouldn’t recommend putting them in your food. As Redditor raineykatz points out, it’s caterpillar frass (AKA, caterpillar droppings). So, uh, yeah. Keep that as far away from your food as possible.
“Small electronic(?) item, black plastic with 2 prongs.”
Unless you’re European, or you travel to Europe a lot, you might not know this one right away. Luckily, there are always people in the Reddit comments who do.
A bunch of comments poured in on the original post, pointing out that this is a converter for American to European outlet plugs.
“Rubber or silicone object with a slot in the middle that leads to a hole. Nintendo Switch controller for scale.”
Reddit user samt183 swooped in pretty quickly, saying that it “looks like a toothbrush head protector.” And after a bit of investigation, OP realized that this was the right answer!
“What is this? The glitter swirled on its own when I bought it, seemed like air bubbles pushing it up, but the tube is sealed as far as I can tell.”
I’m pretty sure Reddit user gn_like_lasagna is a superhero, because they were able to find the exact nightlight that this thing is a part of ( this one ). Those are some super impressive detective skills right there.
“Found by an old house while metal detecting, only thing on it that I can see is maybe ‘564.’ Any idea what this is?”
This strange, tiny, obscure object isn’t unsolvable, as Reddit user PKDickman shows us: “It’s the latchbolt from an old mortise lock.” This is so incredibly specific, and yet it also happens to be the right answer!
“Very small item found in secondhand nightstand drawer. About 1 inch long. White cap comes off, seems to contain a waxy substance, and bottom is unsealed.”
A few Reddit comments pointed out that this thing is part of a catheter. And that’s… not something you’d probably want to touch with your bare hands, especially if it doesn’t belong to you.
“I found this box-shaped plastic thing that has evenly distributed holes on it in my house, you guys have any idea what it is?”
As it turns out, the Reddit comments did know what this strange thing is. According to jackrats (who’s on a total roll today), “It’s a jaw exerciser.” I’m not even going to bother asking why anyone would need to exercise their jaw.
“Round silver ring with quarter for scale. Has SA and UL certification marks as well as what looks like length markers in inches and a ‘T.'”
Despite how mysterious this item would look to people who have no idea what it is (like me), to the people who do know, it’s an easy solve. Reddit user MiteyF, for instance, wasted no time in calling it “a nut for conduit fittings.”
“Seen on Google Maps Satellite View North Wales, What are these lines on the landscape?”
Sure, the weird lines only look tiny because they’re from a satellite image, but a mystery is still a mystery!
In this case, though, this is just what the ground looks like from above after some logging’s been done. Reddit user wrenchinitup1969 confirmed this and everything.
“What type of hinge is this? You pull the handle out and you can rotate it and then put it back in and lock it.”
There were a few possible answers for this one, but it looks like Redditor eager_beaver_4_u had the correct one: “It looks like an adjustable angle bracket for 2020 style aluminum extrusion.” Huh.
