Many everyday objects contain dangers for our soft human hands. Certain materials and textures can hurt, scratch, cut or puncture skin if touched or handled incorrectly. Let’s explore a list of unexpectedly hard things that prove tricky to touch safely.
List of Things That Are Hard to Touch
- Cactus
- Ice
- Metal spikes
- Hot stove
- Bricks
- Porcupine quills
- Thorny plants
- Razor blades
- Stone sculptures
- Stalactites
- Prickly sea urchins
- Barbed wire
- Icicles
- Pinecones
- Steel wool
- Clam shells
- Concrete walls
- Glass shards
- Tumbleweeds
- Tortoiseshell material
- Iron fence
- Granite countertops
- Crab shells
- Chain-link fence
- Petrified wood
- Metal graters
- Barnacles
- Rusty metal
- Hardened wax
- Pumice stone
- Jagged rocks
- Tortoise shell
- Fossilized bones
- Metal file
- Oyster shells
- Gravel paths
- Diamond
- Hardwood floors
- Sandpaper
- Metal nuts and bolts
- Coral reefs
- Concrete sidewalks
- Metal tools
- Armor plating
- Crab claws
- Obsidian
- Iron chains
- Concrete statues
- Turtle shell
- Jagged seashells
Cactus - Prickly cactus spines make them painful to touch and grab. The sharp points easily pierce skin.
Ice - Frigid ice feels hard and unyielding. The frozen structure resists pressure and handling.
Metal spikes - Pointy metal spikes are hazardous to touch. They snag clothing and scrape skin painfully.
Hot stove - A stove heating up becomes too hot to touch safely. The searing metal or glass will burn.
Bricks - Standard masonry bricks have a rough, abrasive texture that scrapes skin if scraped along them.
Porcupine quills - Porcupines have a spiky coat of stiff, needle-like quills that painfully embed in skin.
Thorny plants - Plants like roses and blackberry bushes have sharp thorns that poke and scratch if touched.
Razor blades - Exposed razor blades slice open skin painfully. Their sharp edges make them too hazardous to handle directly.
Stone sculptures - Carved stone statues and sculptures feel cold and abrasive, not meant for touching.
Stalactites - The bumpy, jagged texture of cave stalactites and stalagmites makes them precarious to touch.
Sea urchins - Spiny sea urchins can painfully puncture hands. Their prickly spines cover a hard shell.
Barbed wire - Barbed wire strands have sharp metal thorns waiting to cut anyone trying to pass through.
Icicles - Long, pointed icicles can dangerously pierce skin and should not be touched if at all possible.
Pinecones - Grabbing large pinecones risks getting scratched by their sharp, rigid scales.
Steel wool - Scratchy steel wool seems harmless but the tiny wire strands scrape skin painfully if rubbed hard.
Clam shells - Clam shells feel rough and abrasive, able to cut fingers along their jagged edges.
Concrete walls - Walking into solid, unyielding concrete results in sore, scraped knees and elbows.
Glass shards - Broken sharp fragments of glass cut skin easily and should only be cleared with heavy gloves.
Tumbleweeds - Tumbleweed plants have prickly thorns and bark that scratch if you grab the tumbling bush.
Tortoiseshell material - Tortoiseshell comes from the scaly shell of turtles and has a rigid, uncomfortable texture.
Iron fence - Wrought iron fences are topped with rough spikes too hazardous to attempt climbing.
Granite countertops - Hard granite or stone countertops are unforgiving if you accidentally knock your head onto their surface.
Crab shells - Crab shells are made of rigid segments joined by rough, scratchy seams.
Chain-link fence - Tightly woven chain link fences have metal points that scratch and scrape if pressed into.
Petrified wood - Once-living wood solidified into stone feels impenetrably hard and unyielding.
Metal graters - Sharp grater edges used for grating cheese and vegetables will shred more than food if touched.
Barnacles - Tough barnacles adhere to ships and pier posts in clusters of jagged conical shells.
Rusty metal - Rusty metal has a gritty, abrasive texture that can cut fingers and hands caught on its edges.
Hardened wax - Hot melted wax hardens as it cools and, while smooth, its rigid surface does not yield to pressure.
Pumice stone - Porous, lightweight pumice has an extremely rough and abrasive gritty texture used for exfoliation.
Jagged rocks - Walking barefoot over uneven, pointy rocks results in sore, scratched up feet.
Tortoise shell - A tortoise's rigid domed shell protects it but has a granular texture too rough to touch.
Fossilized bones - After fossilization, ancient bones become rock-hard with a weighty, inflexible feel.
Metal file - Metal files have raspy, stiff teeth designed to roughly grind down materials.
Oyster shells - The protruding scaly texture of oyster shells makes them uncomfortable and risky to handle.
Gravel paths - Walking with bare feet on small loose rocks of gravel paths causes discomfort and abrasions.
Diamond - One of the hardest minerals, diamond's structure does not compress or change shape under force.
Hardwood floors - Durable hardwood floors feel unforgiving when someone falls and impacts them.
Sandpaper - The entire purpose of abrasive sandpaper is to scour surfaces using a rough granular coating.
Metal nuts and bolts - Fasteners like industrial bolts and nuts have squared off, digging edges.
Coral reefs - Coral, though beautiful, grows as colonies of sharp and brittle skeletal calcium deposits.
Concrete sidewalks - Falling against bare concrete sidewalks results in scraped hands and tender scabs.
Metal tools - Instruments like hammers, shovels, and hand saws are designed for tasks, not prolonged handling.
Armor plating - Military armor uses rigid materials like hardened steel plates to resist impact.
Crab claws - Crustacean pincers have a powerful hold and pointed ends capable of pinching skin.
Obsidian - Natural volcanic glass obsidian fractures into dangerously sharp edges.
Iron chains - Thick metal chains feel cold and inflexible, plus risk pinching fingers in the links.
Concrete statues - Life-like concrete or stone statues do not have yielding surfaces and are not meant to be touched.
Turtle shell - A turtle's protective upper shell is made of rigid scutes (plates) covered in tough keratin.
Jagged seashells - Rough, broken seashells should be handled gently to avoid scrapes from their sharp points.
Final Words:
The natural and constructed world contains many rigid, sharp objects that do not yield to human touch. Caution is required when interacting with prickly plants, heated surfaces, abrasive minerals, and other items on the list whose textures can cause harm. Being aware helps avoid injuries when encountering the many potential risks that come with touching things meant to be handled carefully, if at all.
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