19 People Who Found a Mysterious Item and Had No Idea What It Was for

Have you ever seen a thing, the purpose of which you would puzzle over for hours? Instead of running around your friends with the question, “What is it?” it is better to go to special communities in the network, where the real masters of such riddles gather.

“Double-bowl sink with a hole connecting them, tap does not reach second bowl. All three sinks in this bathroom in a public space had one of these. What is it used for?”

• It is for schools, you can put a sponge there. © Idualc_ / Reddit
• It’s not restricted to schools obviously. The Sponges where ment for blackboards. If it is an event venue, they most likely had blackboards back in the day. © bugabagabubu / Reddit

“Small and hollow fabric cone that came for free when I bought this mattress for a deck chair.”

Answer: They’re meant to cover your drink outside to prevent insects getting in your drink. I have a cotton quilted one to put over my coffee mug to help keep it warm.

“Green metal thing buried in the far corner of the yard.”

Answer: It’s an anchor for a dog tie out that is partially buried.

“Gold chicken shaped clamp attached to a two-foot flexible cylindrical tube with another clamp unit at the other end. Made entirely of metal.”

• I would say it’s a sewing bird clamp but that looks huge. © KingSnakeJones / Reddit
• You might be on to something—the previous owner of it was a fiber arts specialist in my mother’s hand weaving guild. But nobody in the guild knew what it was for and the previous owner has passed on. © Melodic-Gate-3001 / Reddit

’’My grandparents use it. Fits in my hand. What is it for?!’’

Answer: My schoolteacher uses something similar as a paperweight.

’’I found this in the cushions of my couch. It’s metal, playing card shape and size.’’

Answer: It’s an “onion plate”. After you finish cutting onions, you are supposed to wipe your hands with the plate like it was soap to remove the onion smell.

’’I found this red and clear rubber toy-like thing!’’

Answer: Oh! It’s a Lego part. It’s a pair of balloons held by a Lego figure.

’’What’s this weird band with bra-like loops in my lingerie drawer?’’

Answer: It is a bra extender for low back tops. So that the back of the bra wouldn’t be visible.

’’What’s this glass bowl type item found buried in the yard?’’

Answer: It’s an oil lamp.

’’What is this knob like thing? Metal, brass, 4 inches, threaded holes on both sides. I have 5 of them, all the same.’’

Answer: They are curtain tie backs. They are mounted on the wall, and when you open the curtains, you tuck them behind it.

’’What is this thing? The inside opens up to empty space, it’s disconnected from the desk below.’’

Answer: It’s a bed desk. There’s supposed to be a metal bar underneath that slots into the wooden tray, so you can prop it up at different angles for reading and stuff. It’s like a more robust bed/lap tray.

’’What’s this green, translucent substance found on beach? It looks like glass but has gel or Jello like consistency.’’

Answer: It might be sodium polyacrylate. It’s the stuff commonly used nowadays in diapers to absorb moisture. It starts out more solid and turns into a jelly texture after being exposed to water.

’’I found this in the bathroom of the house we just bought. It is made of metal and screwed into the wall and has a hole in the middle.’’

Answer: It’s a toilet paper roll holder and it’s missing a part.

’’What’s this 5-inch-long plastic thing with spring inside?’’

Answer: It’s an old school chip (as in integrated circuit) puller/seater. Used when chips were still removable from their sockets.

’’What is this towel received as a wedding gift?’’

Answer: It’s just a decorative hand towel to hang from the stove handle. It’s designed to look like a cute little dress.

’’I found this black plastic thing attached to my backpack. It doesn’t make a noise, has ’WG’ inscribed on it. What is it?’’

Answer: It’s a security tag. A WG IR-4 alarm tag.

’’What is this white plastic thing that folds?’’

Answer: It’s a phone stand.

’’What is this bag of liquid that was hung in front of a house?’’

Answer: Some people believe that putting a penny in a bag of water keeps flies away.

“This brass thing looks like a doorbell in my 1918 apartment. Positioned exactly 6ft up the wall and the kitchen is on the other side.”

Answer: It looks like many of the capped gas lighting fixtures in my great-grandparents’ old house in Appalachia; it wasn’t electrified until the 30s.

So, did you solve half of these puzzles? If you like this kind of thing, we can suggest you to continue this exercise here, here and here.