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What Is It? game 212



It's once again time for our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what the pictured item is? Or 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 guesses as you'd like in separate comments. 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?

See all this week's mystery objects at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: these strange-looking goggles are Masonic Hoodwink Goggles, they were used as a blindfold in rituals of initiation. Edward K knew that, and wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop!  Pismonque came up with a great funny answer: "These are Fear Goggles, the companion to Beer Goggles. When you wake up mostly sober at 5 AM and stumble to the loo, they act as blinders against the horror of discovering your newest intimate acquaintance. The flip-down lids protect against the increasing light of morning and prolong the denial." That wins a t-shirt! Find out the answers for all the mystery items at the What Is It? Blog.

Comments (78)

These are obvioulsy the goggles worn by any self respecting mad scientist when dealing with lightening and electricity. You can see examples of their use in the documentary Young Frankenstein. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_C_8M2WVWfgM/TTKeVpqyRmI/AAAAAAAAIWo/KmmXwHZaVSQ/s1600/2007_7young-frankenstein.jpg
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Aye, Masonic blinders, own a pair myself. Makes a really nice conversation piece, really hard to get a hold of ones in good quality though if you're not a mason yourself.
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Groucho Marx's first prototype. Before he realised it wouldn't translate to black and white film and needed a mustache, for comedic relief.
"Exterminate Me" - L
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The proper name for this is "hoodwink." It is, as Edward K noted, used in the initiation ritual in Freemasonry. These days a hoodwink is made of soft, padded cloth. At the time these were made, there were numerous fraternities using them in their imitation of Freemasonry.

Brainier than the Average Bear, XXL.
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Are you an Acme cartoon character?

Are you tired of sunglasses flying off your head every time your eyeballs pop out of their sockets?

Fear not pervy beach goers, for Acme sunglasses with eye popper tops are now available!

Keep on bloggin' - lrg - ash grey
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I've seen these before in the Burning Zone... they're super secret Nazi goggles that let you see who the bad guys are if you stick a couple of rubies in them.

When Worlds Collide, Navy, XL
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These are Fear Goggles, the companion to Beer Goggles. When you wake up mostly sober at 5 AM and stumble to the loo, they act as blinders against the horror of discovering your newest intimate acquaintance. The flip-down lids protect against the increasing light of morning and prolong the denial.

battle damage, navy, xl
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These are Kool-Aid goggles, used at a 1966 Greatful Dead Acid Test. Pop the shades down and everything's beautiful!
Beer goggles just didn't work there.

Unpredictable Swing Voter (small, natural)
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Just woke up with the answer.
They were once worn by the prosaic Belgium explorer Monsieur Connerie, The Blackout Goggles from his 1834 interplanetary flight to Venus.

They were needed to allow the eyes to rest, as at that distance from the sun, they found the light to be quite bright.

Although not designed for sleeping, he found the sunlight could penetrate eyelids, even when sleeping, which is why he added, whilst in flight, the extra-wide 'side-'valance'.

It is a joy and lovely to see such an antique from mans first Interplanetary expedition, one that sadly has been hidden and suppressed for all these years.

Yours Truly
Richard K

p.s. Science - Schroedinger's Cat: Wanted Dead And/Or Alive XL.
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These are an early prototype of the "somebody else's problem" field that is discussed in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. See a problem or situation that you don't want to get involved with? Evidence that refutes a pet theory? Just flip down the ocular caps and <> it's now somebody else's problem becuase you aren't seeing it!
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They're masonic ritual goggles. Initiates wear them and the goggles are unblinded at specific points in the rituals so that the wearer can see only specific things. I don't know if they're used much anymore, all the goggles like that I've seen have been ancient.
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The item is a 'hoodwink' used in Masonic (Amercan York Rite) initiations. These are late 19th or early 20th Century make. The Initiate is led 'hoodwinked' around the room, and at specified times, one, or both eyes are uncovered (by raising the lever) to allow the initiate to see a particular thing, then the lever is lowered again and the Initiate continues on...

Pink Freud (L)
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Today's pilots in training have hoods they wear over their head to restrict their vision to only the instrument panel. It's an excellent way to learn IFR flight skills without the danger of actually being unable to see terrain.

These goggles are similar but were used to train Jedi pilots for their FFR (Force Flight Rules) certification: take off as usual, flip down the blinders and practice flying by The Force, but free to flip them back up again to handle tricky situations.
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That would be an upgraded throttle plate for the modified class of horse racing. In the "modified" or "unlimited" classes, biological enhancements are allowed as long as they are considered "bolt on" parts. In this case, the goggles are added to the horse for throttle control on tight technical road courses.
Typically an additional reign ran back to the jockey from one of the two levers with the other lever being connected to a remote kill switch that track officials can use to stop the horse if a dangerous situation occurred.
A smaller set was originally tried on the nostrils to throttle incoming air, but these were quickly made illegal after a series of runoff events generated the colloquial term "kill switch".

T-shirt -- surprise me (men's M)
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Wooing Goggles. You've heard that love is blind. Just pop these on your intended to blind them to all your imperfections.

PB & Jellyfish, Ladies L, Serene Green
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Finally one that I know. It took me a few years, but I got it. It seems a little late though.

Its a pair of free mason peek-a-boo goggles. Created around the time the free masons went co-ed. The newly instated free mason females requested day care for their children, as it would be imprudent to participate in masonic rituals and global domination while making sure Jr. was taken care of. So these goggles were developed to keep jr occupied for hours on end. Based on the marking in the top right hand corner, these may be the very goggles used to entertain Chalsey Clinton, while her parents plotted the over throw of a number of small nation states.

Glow-in-the-Dark Skeleton L black
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Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses have been specially designed to help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger. At the first hint of trouble, they turn totally black and thus prevent you from seeing anything that might alarm you.
(Thank you Douglas Adams)
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Parental Discretion Blinders* - just flip the blinders down when something questionable is shown on tv or at the movies. Must be no greater than arms length between parent and child to work properly.

*Soundproof earplugs sold seperately.

PB & Jellyfish, Ladies L, Serene Green
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These are something out of the closet of Newt Gingrich. I suspect his ex-wife might need them more than he does though.

brainer than the average bear, xl
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Insulated nursing bra, used by eskimoos. Modern versions have built in heaters, but you have to test it on the back of your hand first.

T shirt, XL voices in my head
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steampunk welding goggles used in the construction of the Hindenburg, and the titanic, these famous goggles worn by John Austrolagos a welder on both doomed vessels. They are now on display at the Smithsonian, in the cursed wing
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One of many of the accesories for the Chuck Norris action figure. Working Class Welding Chuck, comes with a toolbag and a portable welding machine. Singed Stache sold separatly.

Womens...large...navy, Hippo Potty Mouth
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Welding goggles. You would open them to prepare for your work, close them to make the weld, open to check where you are at and reposition, etc. You can see that the spring on the left side (when worn) is positioned in a way to hold the lids open, and also to make the lids snap closed if you flick the handle. Additionally, the long tubes for the eyes help protect the wearer from light generated from other nearby operations. These would also be perfect for naps.
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Glasses that are worn to adjust eyes to a dark environment. Glasses similar to these have been on u-boats and were worn before people got on the conning tower at night as outlook.
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Lechery goggles: they allow for ah-ooga eye-popping in the presence of a beautiful woman but have flip-down restraint lids in case her boyfriend's really big.
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An early example of one of the, three, no four, no five, no SIX tools, of the Tribunal for the Holy Office of the Inquisition. (Other tools included, fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, a fanatical devotion to the pope, and nice red uniforms).

The Holy Occular Armament for Substatiative Divine Spark Detection (No acronym! Acronyms are the devil's shortcut!) was created to see into the darkness of parishoner's souls. If there were any detectable spark of the divine in their hideously guilty souls they would be burnt at the stake and sent to their maker. If, on the other hand, there was nothing but darkness (or if they were a woman, someone who could read, or were heavier than a duck) they would be burnt at the stake and sent to their maker.

It is remarkable that, although the use of The Holy Occular Armament for Substatiative Divine Spark Detection was quite popular among inquisitors, no one ever expected them.

"Internet Advice for Writers," Men's, Natural, Large
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They are dragon trainer's goggles, meant to protect the trainer's eyes while the young dragons are still learning to control their flames - The trainers need to be able to cover their eyes in an instant in case one of their younglings sneezes!

Walk (on the Sidewalk) Like an Egyptian
Chocolate, XL
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Back when the "80's" meant "1880's" these were flip sunglasses. It is a little known fact that the flip glasses of the 1980's-1990's were simply the fashion statement making a comeback.

What happens at grandma's L blue.
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