The purpose of that space in the middle of scissors is baffling people, so here’s what it’s for

People on Twitter are scratching their brains wondering what on earth that space in the middle of a pair of scissors is for, so here’s the answer.

The question comes after a photo of the metal teeth between the handles went viral this week. In the caption, it says: “Probably a silly question, but what is this part of the kitchen scissors for?”

It’s one of many similar posts circling social media right now, like what is that space before a zero for on a ruler and what are those strange shark fins on top of car roofs?

A new one of these posts seems to go viral every day and they always make you feel so stupid, because you have no idea what on earth it’s for. Every day is a school day!

Probablemente sea una pregunta tonta, pero ¿para qué sirve esta parte de las tijeras de cocina? pic.twitter.com/yY3zl2Deyj

— Errores gramaticales (@ErrorGramatica) April 26, 2026

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So, what is the space on the middle of scissors for? Well, that hole is actually called the “bone notch” because it was originally designed to crack hard items like meat bones during cooking. Yeah, pretty grim. But that’s not its only use.

It can basically be used for cracking anything that’s hard, like nuts or shellfish. Also called a “knuckle breaker,” it can also be used for removing the leaves from herbs and even opening stubborn jar lids.

Basically, it’s designed for a number of different heavy-duty kitchen tasks that the normal scissor blades just aren’t strong enough for. So, that’s why you only ever find the “bone notch” on kitchen shears, not any other type of scissors.

Most people don’t really use it, because it’s not every day that you need to crack a lobster shell or break a chicken bone in half, but it’s there anyway. You never know, it might come in handy one day!

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Featured image credit: Canva and Twitter