What Is That Thing? (15 pics)
“It is plastic wrapped, never used. It has a mesh cover, small holes, and a plunger that presses into neither of them.”
Answer: a tea strainer.
“A small metal trinket found buried on a rural Missouri farm”
Answer: “It’s a boy scout neckerchief slide.”
“Found in my math teacher’s room — 100 squares with varying patterns and colors. No patterns seem to be the same.”
Answer: “It’s a prime factorization chart and a demonstration of The Sieve of Eratosthenes. Note that primes are of solid distinct color.”
“2.5 inches long with a ring-sized hole, and gold-colored metal. Is this jewelry?”
Answer: accessibility device for pressing buttons, etc.”
“Hundreds of stainless steel pipes near a dam”
Answer: “They’re breather pipes for a landfill site. Lets out the gasses from decomposing waste buried there.”
“What is this? Some sort of a combination of tongs and a strainer.”
Answer: “Those might be frying tongs but would be very useful as a teabag squeezer/remover from hot cups of tea.”
“Small metal box and bracket plugged in a 1960s-era house. Has wires coming out the bottom.”
Answer: “This is a power transformer for providing power to older telephones to light up the dials. It was usually wired to the black and yellow wires of the four-wire telephone cord.”
“A red and clear rubber toy-like thing found on a playground”
Answer: “It’s a Lego part. It is a pair of balloons held by a Lego figure.”
“Does anybody know what this might be for? The position of loops is adjustable with graduations in centimeters along the frame.”
Answer: “It’s a guitar finger trainer.”
“What is this? Literally any explanation will do.”
Answer: “Oh, it’s simple. Looks like a giant snowblower.”
“One-foot tall copper colored metal stand with five prongs that come together in a little ball at the top, with a wooden circular base.”
Answer: “Metal holder for teen girls’ accessories.”
“2-3 inches long white plastic, with bristle like ends which are pliable. Found in the kitchen drawer.”
Answer: “It is part of a bottle cleaning kit. Used to clean out nipples on bottles or sippy cups.”
“Found in the woods in Germany hanging from a tree/bush.”
Answer: “Is hunting allowed? Could be for scent lure.”
“Weird spike found in my flowerbed by the road. About 10 inches in length.”
Answer: “This is a grounding rod for a machine used to detect buried gas lines or other pipes.”
