“My wife got this strange object from her grandmother, 10 cm long. She used it when she was younger, but no longer needed it.”
Answer: "It’s for stirring drinks."
“What are these and what are they for? The girl sitting across from me had them on all her fingers on both hands.”
Answer: "Oval finger splints for treating: arthritis, boutonniere deformities, crooked fingers, fractures, hypermobility (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), lateral deviation, mallet finger, swan neck, trigger finger, and trigger thumb"
“My girlfriend found these in her dinner. Are they seeds?”
Answer: "Those look like harlequin bug eggs."
’’This was surgically removed from my cat’s stomach. It’s rubbery in texture and maybe about an inch long."
Answer: "It’s a rubber piece from a cat fountain."
“What is this kitchen cabinet used for? It has a pull-out shelf and an outlet inside. It was in the condo my son just bought.”
Answer: "It’s a stand mixer."
“What is this thing in my classroom? Makes subtle fan-like sounds and changes color on top.”
Answer: "AV1 is a personal avatar for children suffering from long-term illness, helping them to continue their education and maintain the normality of daily life despite no longer being able to access mainstream education."
“This is a small scoop with alligator clip as the handle. Found it cleaning out the kitchen.”
Answer: "A coffee scoop with a bag clip for the coffee bag."
“My college sent me this and I have NO CLUE what it’s for.”
Answer: "Looks like a germ key. Basically, it allows you to open doors, press buttons, and sign screens without touching them directly."
“Heavy metal cubes on the end of the chain with different shapes on each side of the cubes — AA battery for scale”
Answer: "Han Solo’s lucky dice"
“What are these circular metal things on these stairs? I just hit my knee and man, did it hurt.”
Answer: "It’s a skateboard prevention device that keeps ’em from grinding on edges."
“I found this in the basement rafters of my 100-year-old house. It appears to be 2 marbles or something similar in a hanger.”
Answer: "It’s a razor blade sharpener."
“From a box of candy-making supplies — about 60 twisted screws are buried in the 4.5-inch-wide piece.”
Answer: "It’s for making spun sugar."
“Found buried in the closet of a commercial kitchen. What have I got? It’s about 6 inches in diameter.”
Answer: "It’s a hamburger press. Here’s an identical one."
"Looks to fit in your mouth or roof of the mouth, maybe made of woven medical fabric with thin plastic through the middle.’’
Answer: "It’s a turkey caller."
“I found this ring in my backyard while doing gardening. After cleaning it, it doesn’t look like a normal ring. Any ideas?”
Answer: "This is a mourning ring. The initials belong to a lost loved one."
“Got this as a prize in a Christmas cracker with no instructions, just a few sharp hooks.”
Answer: "It’s a needle threader."
“It came bundled in my order, but I didn’t order this. Opened it without noticing, but it’s hard and murky.”
Answer: "Looks like opalite."
“Appears to be cotton, wrapped partially in burlap, and secured with steel straps. Hickman, Kentucky is written on the burlap.”
Answer: "We had one of these when I was growing up. It was a souvenir from some southern plantation-type place we visited. Just a mini bail of cotton, ready to be shipped off."
“What is this fiber/sand ball? Found among thousands like it on a beach in Spain. It weighs almost nothing.”
Answer: "It’s a seagrass ball. They are used to have more surface area for bacteria to grow on, and it looks like these could possibly serve the same purpose."
• Don't insult other visitors. Offensive comments will be deleted without warning.
• Comments are accepted in English only.
• No swearing words in comments, otherwise such comments will be censored.
• Your nickname and avatar are randomly selected. If you don't post comments for 7 days, they both are reset.
• To choose another avatar, click the ‘Random avatar’ link.
#14 I had an old science teacher in middle school that made these out of condoms while killing time during tests. I hope they were new ones.