17 Mysterious Objects Whose Purposes Were Really Hard to Find, but Not for Internet Know-It-Alls

There are so many things around us with purposes that remain a mystery. But not everyone is curious enough to dig deeper and seek out answers. Luckily, the heroes of our article are not like that. They decided to share their puzzling finds with Internet know-it-alls who are always ready to crack any mystery.

“I found this plastic hand outline with a hook at the base in the toolbox with various screwdrivers.”

Answer: This is a glove dryer.

“I’ve been walking by this for years. It’s the only one like it that I know of.”

Answer: It’s a sensor to turn the heated sidewalk on and off.

“My grandma found this weird ceramic dog in her yard.”

Answer: It’s a dispenser for drinks. It’s missing the tiny cups or shot glasses that hang from the spikes on its back.

“I started to peel and separate this orange into segments when I found this inside. Its ridges were growing between the orange segments where the pith would normally be.”

Answer: Sometimes navel oranges can have a second orange growing inside the first one. This looks to be what happened here, but the second orange died and began to decompose.

“My parents have had this hanging on the wall for years — it’s like a French-to-English abacus.”

Answer: This is a board to learn English vocabulary and grammar.

“My dentist gave this to me after a check-up. How do I use it?”

Answer: This is a toothpaste squeezer. You put it on the end of your toothpaste tube and slowly move it up the tube to squeeze the toothpaste out.

“My wife found a jar of what looks like glass plugs.”

Answer: They’re stoppers to old glass bottles.

“I found this thing on the street about 2 years ago. The red light was glowing brightly for about 5 days and then dimly for almost 3 weeks before fully going out.”

Answer: This is a bike backlight.

“This is not a pen, the tip is sharp metal and doesn’t write. No place for ink or graphite or anything.”

Answer: This is a scriber. They’re used to make lines or marks on metal, wood, or a number of other materials.

“This old hand tool my father found”

Answer: This is a bladed ice chipper.

“I found this sewn into the hem of a pillowcase in a hotel.”

Answer: This is RFID for identifying the owner at the industrial laundry place.

“Some kind of a metal faucet-looking device in the bathroom of my hotel”

Answer: It’s an old ashtray. Push the button for it to empty to the container below it.

“I found these on the shoreline of a beach in the Scottish Isles. They feel like glass, one is clear and the rest are black.”

Answer: The black ones are carbon rods from batteries. And the clear one is part of a broken thermometer.

“It looks like a old telephone, but is has no speaker or a way to plug something else in besides the plug attached.”

Answer: It is an old-school num-pad used for faxing/dial-up on old-school computer systems.

“This came with my new couch. I forgot to ask what it was for upon delivery.”

Answer: They are supports for the large pillows or cushions.

“What is this silver metal disc embedded in the arm of a lounge chair? The center of the disc can be depressed and springs back up into its original position.”

Answer: It’s a tray holder.

“What is this hard button in the middle of these panties? It’s not removable.”

Answer: It’s a chip for menstrual pain relief.

Have you ever found anything with a purpose you couldn’t determine? Why not share the photo of this in the comments below? Perhaps our readers will help you solve the mystery.