Are you curious about the enigmatic objects you come across in your daily life? Look no further than the internet, the best detective available today. With the collective intelligence and knowledge of millions of online users, we can decipher even the most puzzling objects. One platform where users come together to solve mysterious items is the subreddit “What is This Thing?” (WITT). Let’s take a look at 20 intriguing objects and their explanations:
1. Looks like Clay
Question: My 3-year-old brought home a rubber/silicone object from an activity. It’s fingertip-sized, doesn’t erase, and is as hard as a bouncy ball but doesn’t bounce. What is it?
Answer: It appears to be an ’80s light bulb eraser without the metal bottom. Though it doesn’t actually erase anything.
2. Curious Bell
Question: What is the iron cone on either side of a gate in Bath, England?
Answer: It’s a snuffer used by visitors to put out their torch before entering the building.
3. Golden Pig
Question: What is this small gold pig container with a removable tiny spoon?
Answer: It’s a salt cellar, also known as a Salt Pig. It provided easy access to salt while working in the kitchen before the age of shakers.
4. Road Safety
Question: What are these blue reflecting markers on poles for?
Answer: They reflect car headlights to the fields, helping deer avoid crossing the road for the safety of both cars and animals.
5. Old Car Accessory
Question: Found on the dashboard of an old GMC, it’s lucite-like material with ridges. What is it?
Answer: It’s a traffic light viewer, used to better see the traffic light when it was mounted on the same side as the driver.
6. Ingenious Road Sign
Question: What is the purpose of a variable stop sign in Illinois?
Answer: These are blinders, primarily used for signs to be readable from narrow angles. You’ll also find them at traffic lights quite often.
7. An Ancient Household Object
Question: I found this wooden object in my parents’ basement. It looks like a bookholder. What is it?
Answer: It’s an Italian (Florentine style) phone stand with a drawer for pens, papers, and a personal phone book. The vertical cavity is for city phone books.
8. Fancy Bath
Question: This fancy hotel has a shallow tub with two sides that light up in different colors. What’s the purpose?
Answer: This is known as a “Wechselbad” in Germany. You are meant to put your feet in the warm water first, then quickly switch to the cold water. It’s believed to help with circulation.
9. Metal Pumpkin
Question: What is this pumpkin-shaped item that opens on a hinge with a small glass jar?
Answer: It might be a “vinaigrette” jewelry piece used to hold smelling salts or perfume in Victorian times.
10. Strange Spoon
Question: I found this handmade wooden spoon in the attic. Any idea what it is?
Answer: It could be a Yacouba Double Spoon, a symbol of hospitality in traditional African art.
11. Straight Crop Circles?
Question: I noticed these straight but not parallel lines next to my office building. What’s happening here?
Answer: These lines are part of “evaluation trial trenching” in the UK, done to ensure the absence of important archaeological artifacts before starting construction.
12. Weird Design
Question: What is this growth on my mugs after I microwave them?
Answer: The glaze on ceramics can have microscopic cracks and holes. When you heat liquids in these vessels, they can seep through and crystallize, creating the growths.
13. Cool Compass?
Question: I found this rotating object at a used book store. Is it for mapping?
Answer: It’s an astrolabe, an ancient navigation and time measurement tool.
14. Fancy Scissors
Question: I bought this scissors-like device at a flea market. What is it?
Answer: It’s a vintage umbilical clamp, shaped like a stork. It was eventually used as embroidery scissors by midwives.
15. Not A Pet Door
Question: What is the hatch I’ve seen on the outside of houses in the UK?
Answer: It’s a boot scraper, used to clean mud off your shoes before entering the house.
16. Writing Utensils
Question: I found a small metal object that slides up and down, possibly part of something. Any ideas?
Answer: It appears to be a fountain pen holder for an embosser.
17. It’s Not What You Think It Is
Question: I found this scoopy doodad in a junk drawer. What is it?
Answer: It’s actually the spout of a juicer attachment for the classic Sunbeam Mixmaster.
18. Built-in Cigar Holders?
Question: What are the holes on both sides of this sofa’s sliding tray?
Answer: It’s a tray table with matching pegs to keep the tray securely in place.
19. Styrofoam Secrets
Question: What are the sets of seven dimples on styrofoam?
Answer: Those dimples are steam injection points created during the mold process of expanded polystyrene (“Styrofoam”) objects.
20. DIY Insect Repellent
Question: I’ve noticed ziplock bags with water and pennies above doors. What are they for?
Answer: It’s a homemade mosquito and fly deterrent. The light reflecting off the water and pennies is believed to scare off the pests.
The internet truly brings people together to unravel the mysteries of everyday objects. With the collective knowledge and expertise of online users, we can unravel any enigma that comes our way. So, the next time you stumble upon something perplexing, don’t hesitate to seek the help of the online detective community. Happy sleuthing!
