15 Weird Finds That Can Puzzle Sherlock Holmes but Not Internet Users

Perhaps all of us have come across some curious objects with purposes that are really hard to guess. It could be something really old or something that was used by single-discipline specialists. Or perhaps the thing you’ve found looks so puzzling that determining its purpose is almost impossible. Let’s try to guess together what these weird things are that were discovered by Internet users without peeking at the answers.

“I found this small kettle years ago. I tried searching for a similar one but have always come up with nothing. Does anybody have an idea why this has this unique shape?”

• Hm, isn’t that a portable men’s urinal for bedbound patients? © Brokella / Reddit
• Oh my god! I almost used this as a kettle to boil water! It’s always been on a windowsill as a curio. © home_cheese / Reddit

“I found this plaque with numbers inscribed on it on the sidewalk outside a building at my university.”

It’s a most-perfect magic square with rows and columns that all equal 34.

“What is this weird kitchen utensil?”

This is a Ugandan bottle opener.

“Does anyone know what this is? It looks like a gold ring with thin plastic.”

This is a membrane from a musical instrument called a kazoo.

“This small elephant filled with water was left at the flat afterparty. We’re debating with flatmates over what its purpose could be.”

• It’s a melted reusable ice cube. © xptx / Reddit
• My grandma always had a cup of these in the freezer. Shapes range from dolphins to palm trees and many more! © dill2565 / Reddit

“Does anyone know what could have made these brown, black, striped balls? They all have a little hole in the front of them as well.”

These are egg sacks of the spider Celaenia excavata, also known as the bird-dropping spider.

“What kind of pan is this and what is it used for?”

This pan allows you to pour out liquids without the stuff you’re cooking blocking the spout.

“I found this in a kitchen drawer.”

It’s something like a spaghetti server.

“24 years ago, my mom was walking along the beach and found this.”

This is an older version of a potentiometer switch, which is used in different devices to control volume or power.

“I found this translucent gelatinous matter with black and white spots in the local woodlands.”

These are frog eggs.

“My friend bought a new house, and there’s one of these in each bathroom. They don’t appear to be connected to anything.”

It’s an umbra illuzine magazine rack.

“What is this thing? It’s possibly animation related.”

It’s a rear-projection screen for viewing films.

“I found thin slabs of ivory with days of the week on the top in my closet.”

This is the Aide Memoire, which was a sort of personal organizer used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

“A wide load stuck in the street seems to be half-house, half-machine. What is it?”

This is a train snowplow, which would be pushed in front of an engine.

“What is the purpose of the ’chip’ in the one prong of this fork? At first, I thought it actually was just a chip but turns out it’s on multiple forks in my drawer.”

• They make one tine wider for cutting stuff, but the wider one wouldn’t stab as well as the others, so the gave it a clipped point. © PKDickman / Reddit
• It’s only on dessert forks because it’s acceptable etiquette to cut a dessert with a fork. © Goolajones / Reddit

These photos were taken by ordinary people who wanted to share their curious finds. We believe that there should be more puzzles like this on the Internet, so we’d love it if you shared your interesting finds in the comments below. And we’ll make sure they are seen by as many people as possible.