What the hell is this clippy thing with a hole in it?

December 20, 2016 6:28 PM

We found this weird clip thing, and we have no idea what it's for. As noted on the pics, it's about 3-1/2" x 4-1/2", with a weird sort of "pipe" coming out of the front. Anyone recognize it?
posted by Etrigan to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

Best answer: I bet it used to be a clip-on gooseneck phone holder but the goose lost its neck.
posted by moonmilk at 6:31 PM on December 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: More likely moonmilk's suggestion, but it could also have been from a small clip-on lamp
posted by scruss at 6:45 PM on December 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

Clip-on lamp was my first thought as well.
posted by lazuli at 7:07 PM on December 20, 2016

Or a clip-on fan that lost its fan.
posted by beandip at 7:07 PM on December 20, 2016

Lamp, fan, etc. Some small clip-on electric thing. The pipe is where the gooseneck attaches.
posted by jon1270 at 8:08 PM on December 20, 2016

The clip-on appliance suggestions make sense, but the thing that confused me was the slotted hole on the back that makes it look like the thing was meant to be (alternatively?) hung on a screw in the wall. So I was imagining it mounted on the wall, holding some kind of container or receptacle in the clip jaws, with something? friction fit on the pipe, interacting in some way with the container or receptacle.
posted by Bruce H. at 10:31 PM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

The keyhole slot is just an alternate way of mounting the fan/lamp. You can clip it onto something, or hang it on a screw on the wall.
posted by jon1270 at 6:05 AM on December 21, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks, all. My spouse now has a dim memory of a clip-on lamp, so that's likely what it was.

But now it holds a bag of Goldfish closed.
sic semper lampis
posted by Etrigan at 6:06 AM on December 21, 2016 [9 favorites]