17 Strange Things We Couldn’t Quite Figure Out How to Use

Since people started cohabitating, they have created a lot of things that make life easier. When looking at some things, it’s easy to figure out what they are for based on how they look. But it takes a lot of thought to guess what some other creations are used for. Lucky for us, though, knowledgeable internet users are never far away, and they love explaining how to use these baffling tools.

1. “I bought an old house and found this in a cupboard untouched from the 1960s till today, any idea what this is?”

• ’’You’re holding it wrong. Looks like a nose with an attached mustache from the joke shop to me, minus the elastic.’’ © steveshaw*** / Reddit

2. ’’Wooden object, about 3’ long 1.5’ tall. Metal band around middle, maybe metal ends.’’

• ’’It’s a ’former cone’ - used to shape raw felt into cone shapes for hat making. The felt is wrapped around the cone, and then cut in half (down that metal band) to produce 2 halves that are the first step in forming a wool felt hat.’’ © thepoultron / Reddit

3. ’’My friend and I found this red cylindrical object outside of his apartment. It’s about 2 inches tall and has a silver needle on the end.’’

• ’’If it’s 3D printed, it’s probably a prop — an Anti-Quirk Bullet from a My Hero Academia cosplay.’’ © Pharmguy**** / Reddit

4. ’’Key rings with plastic bits?’’

• ’’It’s just a fidget toy. Like this one.’’ © brock_lee / Reddit

5. ’’4- to 5-inch lipstick-like item with a logo and “Produced by Hiromi Yamamoto” underneath. One AAA battery, doesn’t function.’’

• ’’Some electric skin care massager/treatment wand.’’ © Halal0szto / Reddit

6. ’’Weird purse, made of metal & velvet with a cage inside of it, adjustable vent on one side & air holes on the side that pulls out.’’

• ’’It’s a vintage portable heater/foot warmer.’’ © Southpontiac / Reddit

7. ’’Wooden sticks at a café in Florence’’

• “Newspaper holders. The sticks have a split in them & the papers go through there. Usually sized for broadsheet newspapers.” © Agile_Marzipan / Reddit

8. ’’This has a long handle like a shovel, but on the end, it looks like a sort of basket/rake thing?’’

• ’’Definitely a telescoping fruit picker.’’ © sgruenbe / Reddit

9. ’’What are these small white boxes around the base of our bed at the hotel?’’

• ’’I would of guess that they lock the cover onto the box spring. Slipping a screwdriver in the slot might release the cover. Much like those security pins on clothes, but in this case just a safety pin.’’ © arebet / Reddit

10. ’’What are these small plastic “caps”? Like a wire nut, but not. White plastic with colored rubbery plug and loop. Yellowish-brown foam or sponge is inside.’’

• ’’Look like a medical product called a minicap.’’ © NewLandGuy / Reddit

11. ’’These were included in a memorial golf tournament swag bag. They are approx. 7″ long, made of semi-rigid plastic.’’

• ’’It’s a tool called a spudger.’’ © michasbra / Reddit

12. ’’What is the red pointy plastic used for? I can’t get a straight answer.’’

• ’’My guess is for opening old style, push tab style cans, so you don’t cut your finger.’’ © whyyoutwofour / Reddit

13. “I found this in a bag of prawn crackers. It’s very hard and translucent.”

• “That’s what prawn crackers look like before you deep-fry them.” © Minibeebs / Reddit

14. ’’From a gumball machine. Plastic with foam at the ends. Slightly weighted.’’

• “Here’s a video that shows what it is *supposed* to do.” © jackrats / Reddit

15. ’’Small 4 cm plastic funnel, inside a clear plastic funnel with a twist off base/lid.’’

• ’’I think it’s a PEG / G-tube adaptor. You push/ screw the thin end into the tubing attached to the liquid feed bag, and then push the conical end into the PEG tube. Or you use the clear outside to connect the G-tube to a syringe.’’ © GothBuni / Reddit

16. ’’What are these buttons on the floor under the sinks in this university bathroom? They don’t seem to do anything when pressed.’’

• ’’It’s a foot pedal valve for the lav faucet now replaced with hand sensors on the faucet. It’s a true valve and actually more reliable, but more expensive.’’ © Scott_Carlsbad / Reddit

17. ’’I found this object on the bottom of a drawer. It’s about 1 gram, 3 centimeters long, and made from rigid, translucent plastic. What’s this?’’

• ’’I think it’s a toy hamster water bottle. I remember having something like this when I was young with my Littlest Pet Shop set.’’ © outletsurplus / Reddit

Did you figure out what some of these things were for? When was the last time something really shocked you?