What Is It? game 220

It's once again time for our collaboration with the fantastic What Is It? Blog! Can you guess what the thing in this picture is? Can you make up something interesting?

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will win T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

For another picture, check out the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the mystery item is a miner's plummet, the lighted wick was sighted with a transit by surveyors when doing layout work in dark mine shafts. Steve Pauk knew that, and wins a t-shirt for his efforts!  The prize for the funniest answer goes to pismonque for this quip: "Commemorative souvenir torch necklace from the 1928 Summer Olympics. Didn’t really catch on because it tended to catch on." And we also found that everyone loves to say (or type) the words "plumb bob." Thanks to all who played this week! Find out the answers to all this week's items at the What Is It? blog.