19 Times Daily Mysteries Were Solved by Internet Detectives

Each day can be surrounded with a little mystery. You can find it in a thrift store or on a shelf at your grandmother’s home. When you want a quick solution, there is no need to search for long. You can just ask internet users who can crack the real purpose of any mysterious item.

We at Bright Side rounded up 19 strange cases that got an answer with help of Reddit users.

1. “Toilet with a u-shaped divot in the front.”

Answer: It’s a type of handicap toilet, more common in Europe than the US. It’s supposed to have an open-front seat, too. That allows a person to slide straight onto and off of the seat.

2. “Hard button in the middle of granny-style panties.”

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

3. “A large plastic hood with gloves attached. Found in Chicago residential alleyway.”

Answer: Sand blasting. My dad’s shop has a cover like that for sand blasting.

4. “Ceramic plate with 6 circular divots. Often found in thrift stores near kitchen items.”

Answer: Escargot plate.

5. “What is this part of the small grocery carts? Oddly shaped ring, about an inch and a half across and three inches tall.”

Answer: It’s to hold the self-checkout you can sign up for. They’re usually by the entrances on a rack. I use this all the time.

6. “Beaker with handles? Found at a thrift store with no markings on it.”

Answer: It’s the Inside beaker of a double boiler set!

7. “A metal tool with a wooden handle. Unlabelled at the thrift store.”

Answer: Rolling dumpling cutter.

8. “Strange bench with tubing near the parking lot of an old elementary school.”

Answer: This is legit playground equipment from the ’70s-’80s. You lay on your back and slide through by pulling on the bars.

9. “Obviously an opener but why a speaker? The switch slides, battery cover turns but nothing happens at all.”

Answer: I’ve seen these before, they usually just play a noise when a bottle is opened. Some play songs for sports teams.

10. “Any idea why this ceramic bowl has a slot?”

Answer: It looks like an egg separator.

11. “What is this attachment and why is it round?”

Answer: It’s made to deter vehicles from hitting the building. The spheres are more aesthetically pleasing than the big yellow poles.

12. “Heavy mass hanging on transmission cables.”

Answer: This is an art intervention in a Brazilian university. This thing should be a meteor.

13. “I found this small kettle years ago. Tried searching for a similar one, but have always come up with nothing.”

Answer: In Italy, it is called “la padella.” It is used to pee when you cannot get out of bed.

14. “Why does this mailbox have letters around it? The building was built in the early 1900s.”

Answer: It used to be a combination lock. Now retrofitted with a key lock.

15. “Found at a bar. Very heavy, assuming it’s pushed by the black handles.”

Answer: Linoleum roller.

16. “Antique wooden press or clamp for some purpose?”

Answer: It’s a beekeeping foundation fastener.

17. “Signage is found on a streetlight in the Netherlands.”

Answer: It indicates the location of the pipes underneath the street.

18. “The plastic kitchen tool looks like a slicer or juicer, but there’s no cutting edge.”

Answer: It holds things while you slice them. Eggs, tomatoes, etc.

19. “Found in a charity shop. Any ideas? Maybe to hold a dripping food item?”

Answer: Nut serving bowl with the nutcracker missing. Should fit in the crook of the Y.

Which thing seemed the most curious for you? How often do you find devices that you have no idea how to use?