A Reddit post asking for help identifying a mysterious clear plastic object found at a Spanish in-laws' home has sparked a debate on r/whatisit. Commenters are split between butter spreader and shoehorn.
"No one knows what it is," they wrote. "The closest we can think is something for butter!"
One commenter pushed hard for the shoehorn theory: "Plenty of shoehorns are plastic, that part is irrelevant. Something showing scale would be helpful."
They added that if the blade were glass or mother of pearl, it might serve caviar. "Possibly just for spreading jam/jelly/marmalade/preserves if it is plastic," they wrote.
One commenter posted a photo alongside a definitive verdict: "It's a butter knife, OP". A follow-up supported the identification: "Modern version, complete with plastic tip. Manufacturer's label, fact. Mini spatula or spreader, not necessarily for butter alone." The same user added: "Never would have thought to search the image. Thanks again."
One commenter took the debate in a more comedic direction, offering a country-by-country breakdown of what the object might be used for. In the U.S. it's a butter spreader. In South America it's a banana peeler and in France it's a device to scrape your bum when finished. Just don't forget to wash between countries." A reply beneath it read: "Oh my god I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts!!"
Dismissing the shoehorn angle completely, though, would be too fast. One commenter joked: "Can confirm, not only does it ease the whole putting-shoes-on process, but I also quite enjoy the squish between my toes."
It's a shoe horn. It helps in wearing shoes. Is everybody here that clueless ?
— SYED HASHIR (@SYED_HASHRRR) May 25, 2026
Shoehorns and butter spreaders share the same long, curved, tapered silhouette. Plastic shoehorns appear in nearly identical shapes and sizes. Without a manufacturer's label in plain sight, the line between the two stays blurry.
In the uploaded photograph, the object's blade is fully transparent, slightly curved down the center, and rounded at the top. The handle is transparent and capped at the bottom with a short gold-toned ferrule. No branding is visible on the surface. The original poster clarified that the object was smaller than a full ripe banana.
According to Silver Superstore, a butter spreader typically has a rounded end and a small cut-out in the blade that prevents bread from tearing and stops butter from sticking while spreading. The photographed object appears to match the description closely.
