None of us know everything. Sometimes we find things hanging around our house and, no matter how much we google them and try to find their purpose, we can’t figure out what they are. Luckily, online, there’s a place for everything. About 2 million people in a popular subreddit fight for the same goal: finding the purpose of things that some of us have never even seen before.
Now I’ve Seen Everything loves it when people work together to solve puzzles, and here are some mysterious ones that you might be able to crack!
1. “White blob in bottled vitamin water. What is this?”
- “Looks like a fungal colony to me. Source: I’m a microbiologist.” Natural-Ladder / Reddit
2. “Blue nets tied between the trees, found while hiking”
- “Pretty sure these are nets for catching the fruit from the tree — currently rolled up because there’s no fruit.” darcling / reddit
3. “A short table/desk with an opening at the front, a fence at the back, and storage on both sides”
- It’s a coffee table. The rail is meant to keep things from sliding off the far edge of it when you are sitting on the sofa.” codece / reddit
4. “A full tub with a deep front half... What is it?”
- “It’s a hip bath. A small bath with a seat built into it, designed for sitting rather than lying in.” bobi2393 / reddit
5. “Family gave me a bag of kitchen stuff for my apartment, and this was in it. It’s plastic and the bottom has a little scoop. Sharpie for scale.”
- “It’s a Pop + Scoop cat food can opener. Here is one on eBay for sale.” VegasOldP*** / Reddit
6. “Found this as a part of a silverware set. Thoughts on its purpose?”
- “Apparently, you literally use it to poke pieces of butter to pick them up. Especially butter curls, so you can slide it into them. The corkscrew isn’t really used as one.” Flopsy22 / reddit
7. “Described in an online estate auction as a ’toaster’?”
- “It’s a salt and pepper shaker from the 1940s.” BrazakAttack / reddit
8. “Found this tube ’shell’ on a beach. Any idea what it is?”
- “It’s stingray teeth.” adube1320 / reddit
- “WHAT! Most unexpected answer I’ve seen in a while!” k_mon2244 / reddit
9. “Posts with nets on top on the side of the street in the Netherlands”
- These are to help bats orientate themselves until the trees are larger. Bats need to hear the reflection of their sound to know where they’re going. These things will replace the leaves in that.” Maryolein / reddit
10. “A mail truck with an opaque, segmented roof — why is the top like that?”
- So you can see what you’re doing when you’re inside the back. Cheaper than installing lights.” BmanUltima / reddit
11. “What is this curved metal fixture above the hotel tub handle?”
- “It’s a waterfall bath filler.” ObnoxiousChap / reddit
12. “About 1 gram heavy and 3 centimeters tall. Rigid, translucent plastic. Flat bottom. Found it at the bottom of a drawer. What is 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. The current orientation is upside down.” outletsurplus / Reddit
- Here it is! sparkytheboomman / Reddit
13. ’’Found on a hike up a hill — the eye doesn’t appear natural, but I’m not sure what caused it."
- “Likely a mineral deposition within the rock that has dissolved over a long period of time.” juanabeewolf / reddit
14. “Found this 7 ft under the basement. What is this?”
- “It’s a traditional Chinese soy sauce jug. The little spout is a giveaway.” raineykatz / reddit
15. “What is this giant tower? It can’t be much wider than a staircase. It’s connected to a fire station.”
- “It’s a place where hoses are hung after use, so the water doesn’t eat through the hose lines.” Ban***jack / reddit
16. “Variable stop sign in Illinois”
- “These are blinders, typically used so the sign can be read from a narrow angle. They’re also called directional shields. You’ll see them on traffic lights a lot more often.” I_Me_Mine / reddit
17. “This object is hanging from the ceiling of our waiting room at the hospital. Anyone knows what this is for?”
- “It’s a signal booster.” dcolmena / reddit
18. “Metal, plastic, and canvas-looking fabric clips — they are a few inches long and some say FLATEX.”
- “They’re stocking clips for women’s suspenders/garter belts that were commonly used in the 1960s. The belt or girdle clips around the waist and hips, and short lengths of elastic or strong fabric descend from the belt with these clips on the ends.” Peachi*** / reddit
19. “Found this in a kitchen utensil box at a thrift store. Any idea what this oddly beautiful object is for?”
It’s for grilling on a BBQ or fire. The food goes inside and can then be turned easily by flipping the whole thing over.” McTraveller / Reddit