“It’s an abs exerciser.”

Have you ever stumbled across something so peculiar, so baffling, that you had no idea what it was? Maybe it was found tucked away in an old closet or handed down from a friend who had no clue either. If you’ve ever been left scratching your head over a mysterious item, rest assured—you’re not alone. It seems like many of us have that moment of “What on earth is this?” when faced with an unidentifiable object, especially when it comes to the things that end up in our homes.

Take this scenario, for example: A guy shares his story online, saying, “My girlfriend brought this weird thing with her when we moved in together. What is this?” It was strange and looked like something you’d find in an obscure late-night TV infomercial—definitely something out of the ordinary that instantly went to the top of their “weird stuff” list.

After a lot of speculation and brainstorming, the answer came in: “It’s an abs exerciser.” Specifically, it was the “Ergonomic and Compact Abs Exerciser.” This fitness tool, designed to target the abs and help you get a toned core, turned out to be the answer. But without any context, this thing seemed almost alien—something that could easily be mistaken for a random piece of plastic junk or a quirky abstract sculpture.