What Is It? game 281

Here it is, our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog! Tell us what this object is, if you know. If you don't, make a wild guess!

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. We'll have 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?

Check out the other mystery items this week at the What Is It? Blog. Have fun and good luck!

Update: the pictured item is a set of tongs, but these are specially purposed for handling hops during the beer making process. No one guessed that until after the answers were posted, and then ladybugs jumped in with the correct answer, so she wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! The funniest answer this week came from Sunfall, who said,

It's the first face hugger prototype. Man, they wasted three actresses before hitting on the idea that making it from unyielding metal might not be such a good idea after all... But hey, that's why now we have Sigourney Weaver, so be thankful for the little thingamajig!

That's good for a t-shirt, too! See the answers to all this week's mystery items at the What Is It? blog.