# Can you tell me what this symbol is?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 19, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515 "2016-02-19T02:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quarter\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f475e1/32.png) [@Quarter\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quarter_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/1 "2016-02-19T02:48:53Z")
How do I link to a picture??? A friend of a friend was doing demolition on a house near where I live and there was an old telephone nook built into a wall, small shelf with a connection. They were popluar here in south east Texas. Anyway there is a symbol carved into the wood below the table that we are trying to figure out the meaning of. I’ll post a link to the picture once I figure out how to. Simply stated it is a crescent like [this one](https://www.google.com/search?q=crescent+symbol&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS526US526&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=599&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjf76uj6ILLAhVDRyYKHbTHCbAQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=oFmO1bnCFk2AAM%3A). But rotated so it opens downwrd then it has a spike like the nail [in this picture](https://www.google.com/search?q=crescent+symbol&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS526US526&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=599&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjf76uj6ILLAhVDRyYKHbTHCbAQ_AUIBigB#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=hammer+nail+symbol&imgrc=lj4z8d08-z6CzM%3A)superimposed over it. Tell me where to host a picture and I will and then link to it. In the meantime, any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/2 "2016-02-19T02:58:20Z")
Without seeing the picture, I’m almost certain there was a phonebook hanging on that nail. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/3 "2016-02-19T03:01:32Z")
I can’t get to a website with one on it from work because it blocks gaming sites, but try googling Quake Icon. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/4 "2016-02-19T03:03:26Z")
Yeah, that’s the [Quake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Quake1cover.jpg) icon, a video game from the late 90s. A friend of mine got it as a tattoo, which was outdated within a year. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/5 "2016-02-19T03:03:55Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Quarter\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f475e1/32.png) [@Quarter\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quarter_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/6 "2016-02-19T03:05:59Z")
Crowmanyclouds, the spike or nail is a symbol carved into the wood as a design. Ethilrist, that is almost exactly it!! So the wood carved symbol is just like [this symbol](https://www.google.com/search?q=quake+icon&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS526US526&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmm_yp7ILLAhUB2iYKHUHLBS4QsAQIGw#imgrc=ujHmwNC3uGw1KM%3A)except the crescent is rotated 180 degrees so that it is pointing down. It has to be anywhere from 30 to 50 years old. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/7 "2016-02-19T03:11:38Z")
> [@Quarter\_Girl](#): > > Crowmanyclouds, the spike or nail is a symbol carved into the wood as a design. > > Ethilrist, that is almost exactly it!! So the wood carved symbol is just like [this symbol](https://www.google.com/search?q=quake+icon&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS526US526&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmm_yp7ILLAhUB2iYKHUHLBS4QsAQIGw#imgrc=ujHmwNC3uGw1KM%3A)except the crescent is rotated 180 degrees so that it is pointing down. It has to be anywhere from 30 to 50 years old. I’d say exactly [20 yrs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake_%28video_game%29) > [@](#): > > Quake is a first-person shooter video game, developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/8 "2016-02-19T03:48:34Z")
[Epiphone uses a similar symbol on their guitars](http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Electrics/Archtop/Joe-Pass-Emperor-II-PRO.aspx). It’s a stylized E, but rotated, like when you’re playing the guitar, it looks more like a crescent pointed down. Could have been someone just liked the shape. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/9 "2016-02-19T03:54:59Z")
If it isn’t the Quake symbol, then it’s probably a Builder’s Mark, which is a kind of signature that the carpenter or mason would leave in their work, usually hidden away. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/10 "2016-02-19T05:22:00Z")
Not one of these? > **[shriner emblems masons for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=shriner%2Bemblems%2Bmasons)** > > Get the best deals for shriner emblems masons at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! ---
**Author:** ![Quarter\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f475e1/32.png) [@Quarter\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quarter_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/11 "2016-02-19T14:53:14Z")
Let’s see if this works: [Old telephone nook with carved symbol.](http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaupload/tmp/a5ddadcbb00275e22f9da5df94fab0a4a68c4e98f1b322f20a8f6b00/original.jpg) When I said it was 30 to 50 years old, I was talking abou tthe wood carving, not the Quake symbol. And actually it’s probably closer to 100 years old if it’s as old as the house it’s in. AskNott, that’s the first thing that came to mind when I saw it but no, not one of those. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/12 "2016-02-19T15:40:23Z")
That works! And it’s really pretty. And it sure does look like an inverted Quake symbol. I wonder if it predates Quake, and whoever designed the Quake symbol (which I’ve always read is “just a sylized Q”) took it for the game. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/13 "2016-02-19T15:48:03Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Not one of these? > > [Shriner Emblems Masons for sale | eBay](http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=shriner+emblems+masons) I thought about a Shriners emblem because of the downward cusp but nothing had that spike through it. The picture looks oddly familiar but I can’t place it anywhere. The entire cabinet is a decorative design, it could just be a unique pattern the woodworker created, but at the same time it has the look of something intentionally symbolic. ---
**Author:** ![Quarter\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f475e1/32.png) [@Quarter\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quarter_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/14 "2016-02-19T15:53:44Z")
My thoughts exactly TriPolar. Thought it looked vaguely familiar but that may be due to the Quake icon. I had seen that game years before, maybe even had it. It does look intentional rather than just a design. Also the shape of the wood molding at the top looks Middle Eastern so I thought about the Shiners as well. I uploaded the picture to [Symbols.com](http://Symbols.com) to see if their community has any insight but it doesn’t look like a busy community board. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/15 "2016-02-19T20:32:54Z")
Is there anything behind it? It looks like hollow space in there. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/16 "2016-02-19T21:29:24Z")
That’s kind of odd; iconographically, you traditionally display the horseshoe with the points up so that it catches and holds the luck, rather than letting it spill over onto the ground. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/17 "2016-02-19T22:00:14Z")
I learned that from Colonel Potter. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/18 "2016-02-20T00:44:35Z")
Following is a link with pictures of old telephone nooks… It shows the compartment would be used for a separate bell! So perhaps that symbol is of a bell? [built in phone cabinet | Sears Modern Homes](http://www.searshomes.org/index.php/tag/built-in-phone-cabinet/) ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/19 "2016-02-20T00:57:07Z")
Here is a picture of the separate telephone bell for a candlestick phone… [http://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/Ewbank/83/562683/H0472-L70720789.jpg](http://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/Ewbank/83/562683/H0472-L70720789.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515/20 "2016-02-20T01:11:15Z")
> [@Me\_Billy](#): > > Following is a link with pictures of old telephone nooks… It shows the compartment would be used for a separate bell! > > So perhaps that symbol is of a bell? > > [built in phone cabinet | Sears Modern Homes](http://www.searshomes.org/index.php/tag/built-in-phone-cabinet/) I think you have it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-symbol-is/746515.md?page=2)