Ever look at some mundane item and think to yourself, “What’s the point of that thing anyway?” You wouldn’t be alone. There are dozens of random holes, tools, and loops that remain a mystery to us regular people. We’re just so used to seeing these doodads in our everyday life that we don’t question what they are.

In actuality, it’s more important to be asking ourselves what these things are FOR, rather than what they ARE. As it turns out, most of these common items have a very reasonable (and even helpful) purpose — they’ve just been kept a very good secret.

Check out the surprising uses behind these 11 random things.

1. Tic-Tac Holder

Have you ever opened up a pack of Tic-Tacs and noticed that there’s a raised indent on the inside of the lid? Well, that’s not there for show, it’s meant to function as a dispenser so you can eat one Tic-Tac at a time. It’s like they’re trying to tell us something…

2. Cylinder on Charger

Many laptop charging cables come with a thick cylinder on the cord, and it has a very scientific purpose. Those lumps are ferrite cores or chokes, and they’re essentially just chunks of magnetic iron oxide that are there to suppress high-frequency electromagnetic interference.

You know what happens when your cell phone goes off too close to a speaker? Well, ferrite cores are there to keep that from happening to your monitors, power supplies, and everything else.

3. Bobby Pin Grooves

If you’ve ever had to pin your hair back or up, you’ve probably used bobby pins to get the job done. Whilst doing so, you might have noticed that there are two very different sides to most pins: a flat side and a grooved side.

This might seem like a minor detail, but the grooved side is actually meant to go in face-down; they keep the hair in place better than the flat side does.

4. Gas Gauge Arrow

This is such a tiny, common thing that you probably don’t even see it anymore. But the next time you get in your car (or anyone’s car) look on the dashboard at the gas gauge. You probably see a half-moon shape which indicates how much gas you have left in your tank, underneath which is the image of a little gas pump.

If you take a peek next to that tiny gas pump image, you’ll see an arrow. That’s not a decorative touch, that’s to let you know which side of the car the gas tank is on, depending on which way the arrow is pointing.

5. Pot Handle Hole

Ever noticed that at the tip of your pot handle there’s a large hole? Seems about as random as you can get. But once you realize that this hole is meant to put dirtied spoons in so they don’t muss up your clean counter top, you’ll be wishing you knew the secret purpose of this gap years ago.

6. Tape Measure Holes/Groves

The handier people among us already know this, but the hook at the end of your tape measure is there for a good reason. Well, two good reasons actually: the hole in the center and the groove along the edge. While the hole is there to hook onto nails if need be, the groove can mark where the tape stretched to by grinding into the surface.

7. Micro Jean Pocket

Unless you’re a 19th century gold miner, you probably don’t know the actual reason for this tiny pocket within a pocket or the reason why it’s held down with extra strong studs. The original purpose? To hold your pocket watch, of course, and the extra strength studs to make sure the denim wouldn’t rip under the strain of the metal watch.

8. Pen Cap Hole

Now this one is a little dark. That hole at the top of your pen cap isn’t to keep the ink fresh or prevent it from drying out, it’s to prevent us from choking should we accidentally swallow the pen cap. The small hole is intended to let air through so the victim can breathe while the cap is being removed.

Yikes.

9. Shirt Loop

There are a few different thoughts on the meaning of the loop on the back of men’s shirts. Some believe its only purpose is to hang the clothing item, while others believe it was a means for keeping suspenders up when they were in popularity. Another theory is that these loops were meant to be removable and a young man would take off his shirt loop when he was spoken for.

10. Converse Holes

Some hardcore fans of this infamous sneaker brand might have heard this one before, but there’s a purpose for those little holes on the side of your high top Converse. And it’s a very thoughtful one! Those holes are there for ventilation, so your feet can breath more easily in this cult favorite sneaks.

11. Hole in Spaghetti Spoons

Did some of these uses surprise you? Do you know of any random items that have a significant purpose? Share what you know in the comments section below.