We may often obtain or find items whose purposes are an enigma. We can’t help but grow curious and want to find out their function. A few decades ago, we’d have to go to the library and investigate, talk to someone who knows about the era, or be left without an answer.
However, these days, there’s an entire network of Internet users that acts as a kind of detective service, uncovering the use of any mysterious object, no matter how tricky it may be. We rounded up some of the biggest revelations of unidentified things here.
1. “Someone gave this to my friend. It’s metal with a plastic round knob/thing coming out of it and a plastic handle. What is this?”
vintage fishing reel
Answer: It’s a 1920s electric massager.
Answer: It’s a cuneiform tablet available as a souvenir at the Louvre, among other museums.
Simple life saving bit of kit, we were always told LOTOTO, Lockout, Tag out, Try out.
Answer: That’s a gang lock for Lockout/Tagout. It’s placed on a breaker when many people are working with equipment to keep them safe.
Answer: It’s a keychain attachment.
Answer: It’s an antique butcher’s thumb protector.
Answer: They reflect cars’ headlights to the fields so that animals avoid crossing the road.
reusable heat pad
Answer: It’s a hand warmer. To use it, you can “click” the metal piece, and it will start a chemical reaction and heat the pad. After use, you can put it in boiling water to “recharge” it.
polymer clay working tools
Answer: They’re clay modeling instruments or cake-decorating tools.
Looks like spikes you stick on a window sill to keep the pigeons away
Answer: It’s a baby bottle and glass drainer.
They are used for Mahjong for holding and pushing tiles
Answer: They’re acrylic support tiles for playing Mahjong.
Answer: It’s an occupancy sensor; it helps organize work stations at an office.
Boy scout neckerchief holder
Answer: It’s a Boy Scouts neckerchief slide.
Answer: It’s a mesh bed bug detector.
Answer: It’s a ruling pen for drawing with ink or with other drawing fluids.
Answer: It’s an old puzzle called Octo-mania.
Answer: It’s a tool for softening, making imprints, and cutting leather.
17. “A round, cog-like metallic ’tag’ that came with a hairdressing kit”
Answer: It’s a hair scissors key used for adjusting hair clippers.
18. “A compressible sponge soaked in clear oily odorless substance — I received it at a conference.”
shoe polisher
Answer: It’s a shoe polisher.
19. “There’s a guy wearing this ankle thing at a resort in the Caribbean.”
Yeah! Everyone should wear it too to keep mosquitoes away!
Did you ever find or receive an object you had no idea how to use? Drop a picture here. Maybe some Internet detectives will help you crack it.
