If you’re ever in doubt, just imagine your item being used as a weapon in a very low-stakes bar fight. Can you stab someone with a corkscrew? Yes, but the TSA thinks you’ll be too tipsy to try. Can you beat someone with a hummus container? Not effectively.
Surprising final fact: You cannot bring a clicking pen that looks like it could be a gun. Yes, I’m talking about that cheap pen from the hotel lobby. The TSA once confiscated my uncle’s eco-friendly bamboo pen because it “resembled a dart.”
So pack smart, laugh at the rules, and remember: the TSA is just doing their job. They’re the reason you can’t bring a butter knife, but you can bring a full unloaded shotgun in a checked bag. It’s a wild world up there, folks. Stay hydrated (in 3.4 oz increments).