14 Curious Objects That Definitely Aren’t What You Think They Are

Ever stumble upon something so odd it leaves you completely baffled? You’re not alone. Whether it’s a quirky object you found in your new place or some shiny, strange gadget, trying to figure it out on your own can be a real head-scratcher. Luckily, the internet’s got your back — there’s a whole community of curious minds out there ready to help you identify that mysterious item in no time.

“What are these? They are plastic, gold, and appear to be inflatable or fillable. They are filled with water and the holes in the middle go all the way through.”

• Looks like a weight for something like a flag or umbrella. © jackrats / Reddit

“What’s that for?”

• In Spain, these are everywhere. It’s a prosciutto holder. © actuallychrisgillen / Reddit

“Bank gave out this promotional item, no idea what it is.”

• This is just a simple phone holder, I have a similar one. © ct023 / Reddit

“My neighbor has this in his lawn, high frequency sound comes out of it when I pass it. What is that thing?”

• It’s an animal scarer. Emits an annoying high pitch beep to deter animals (like cats) when it detects one using the IR sensors on the front. Really annoying to walk past if you have sensitive hearing. © WillardWhy / Reddit

“Material is like a firm, but slightly soft red plastic. Slightly larger than a pacifier in size. Doesn’t smell like anything. What is it?”

• It’s a drain plug for a toy sink. © peacefulbacon / Reddit

“What is this thing I found in a bag I got at a yard sale full of crafting supplies? It’s 8 inches long and the little loops are flexible.”

• It’s like a ruler to write in straight lines, but the loops bend out of your way for descenders, which are the lower parts of the letter g, p, y, etc. © dan_dorje / Reddit

“Green metal barrel on a tree next to a river in the woods in Ireland. With a lock underneath. What could it be?”

• We used to use similar things for work related storage — working in natural resources, and maybe there is a routine testing of the water at this spot, so they would store stuff at the site instead of traveling around. Notebook, buckets, some containers, data recorders, etc. We did sap flow studies and had to keep the data recorders on the trees, but didn’t want them to get stolen, this would have worked. © Ol_Man_J / Reddit

“What is this silicon cup looking thing with bristles inside for?”

• Dog paw cleaner — I have one like it for my dog. © pmearsh / Reddit

“Found this weird spoon in the back of my cupboard. Anyone know what it was made for?”

• It’s a spoon for babies. You’re supposed to hold it sideways and pour its liquid content into the toddler’s mouth. © TheoduleTheGreat / Reddit

“What’s this iron ’shoe’?”

• Flat track motorcycle racing shoe. Goes over your boot and lets your inside foot drag around the sweeping corners and not catch or wear out your boot, probably from the 1960s. © meerdog3 / Reddit

“What’s this stool? Maybe for storing saddles?”

• It’s really a stool. In the past, they used it to ride a camel, and then it was used as furniture. © Electrical_Belt3249 / Reddit

“Found this thing on a shelf in my parents’ bathroom.”

• Oh look at mister 20/20 over here. © AaronDM4 / Reddit
• It’s for hydrogen peroxide based contact lens cleaners. © Thelastosirus / Reddit

“I saw this device at one of the village houses, and at first I thought it was used to tie horses or donkeys.”

It turned out that this device is used to clean shoes in rainy weather. While holding the upper bar with your hands, you shake off the dirt from the sole by running your shoe across the bottom.

“Golden coloured opaque glass object about 25cm tall. Weights about 40g. Hollow with no holes.”

• It’s a decor item. © jackrats / Reddit
• And it looks to be blown glass. The lower bulb doesn’t seem to be a uniform sphere. Pretty cool little piece of art. © ProfessorofChelm / Reddit

And here’s another batch of mysterious objects whose secrets have finally been uncovered.