What Is It? Game 116

Alex

Today's collaboration with the What is it? Blog brings us this .... alligator?! Actually, this object has a specific function. Do you know what it is?

Place your guess in the comment section. The first correct guess, as well as the funniest (but ultimately wrong) guess will win a T-shirt from the Neatorama Shop. Please let others play and post no URLs or web links. Doing so will forfeit your entry.

For more clues, check out the What is it? Blog. Good luck!

Update 11/20/09 - the answer is A cast iron alligator match safe, text on its back says "Monon Route", on its legs "Cincinnati, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Atlanta", on its head "Chicago" and on the tail "Florida". It advertised the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway, which later changed its name to The Monon Route, it served the previously mentioned locations.

Congratulations to Edward who got it right first (again) and to pwscott who made me chuckle with "steampunk pez."

Comments (142)

The Grinning Alligator was a cast iron medieval torture device. Rocking it back and forth a few feet in front of a restrained prisoner's face, a Vatican-appointed Inquisitor would use a hidden switch (not visible) to raise and lower the upper piece, all the while chanting, "[I]nterior crocodile alligator, I drive a Chevrolet movie theater." This was often accompanied by a small choir and/or Papal dance troupe. Invariably, the victim would eventually be induced into a near-catatonic state, and with no further urging, confess to any number of alleged crimes.
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Wait, actually, the one in the dining room IS a nutcracker, but this one's different. They look to be part of a set... This must be the turkey baster.
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It's a boot remover you keep outside your door, to pry off your togs from the ankle, like if your shoes are muddy or stuck on, or if you cannot bend over to take them off yourself. You angle the ankle of your footwear against his upper "lip" and pull backwards, thus tugging off your shoe with ease.

Shirt size large, please :)
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hey that one i think i know (my grandpa is a pharmacist)
and he has one of those

if im not wrong they use this thing to press medicine into pills

(but i actually never asked so i could be really wrong)
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It's a pocket gator. You put them in your pockets to prevent people from reaching in and stealing your things. Someone tries to steal your wallet and, presto! you now have a wallet and some fingers in your pocket.
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A truly useful item, a vesta (match holder), ashtray and match striker all in one beautifully presented crocodile form, I would say circa 1860 English design.
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Is it one of those little musical things? Like the wooden frogs where you run the stick over it's back and it makes a croaking sound? Looks like the stick would sit in it's mouth.
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An alligator extermination grenade. You place it by a pond, the vicious alligators take it in a s a child, then when they open its mouth to feed it... BAM!
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I believe it is just an old school mail holder. Or just a paper holder. At least thats what my Grams used it for. She had it on her desk with envelopes and paper clamped in its mouth. So that's my guess.
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Not a cigar rest, but rather a cigar saver. Yoo place your unfinished stogie into the beastie and close the back. When you are ready to finish your smoke, you just open the back and relight.
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It's part of an early Chinese time telling mechanism and with drop marbles from it's mouth with regular intervals which would indicate the passed time
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It's actually an alligator call for hunters... you rest your finger in its mouth, and have your buddy stomp on the mouth, crushing your finger.
The sound of you screaming like a wounded gazelle draws the alligator out of the jungle for you to take a shot at.
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