| The Straight Dope | |
| Url: | straightdope.com |
| Type: | Question and answer |
| Commercial: | Yes |
| Registration: | Required only on forum |
| Owner: | Sun-Times / Straight Dope Publishing |
| Author: | Cecil Adams (pseudonym) |
| Current Status: | No longer updated |
The Straight Dope was a question-and-answer newspaper column written under the pseudonym Cecil Adams. Contributions were made by multiple authors, and it was illustrated (also pseudonymously) by Slug Signorino.[1] It was first published in 1973 in the Chicago Reader as well as in print syndication nationally in the United States,[2] and on a website with the same name.
Following the column of June 27, 2018, the column was placed on hiatus, with no decision made regarding its future.[3]
The column derives its name from the American idiom meaning roughly "the true information; the full story"[4] and covers many subjects, including history, science, old wives' tales, urban legends, and inventions. The column appeared under the tagline: "Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It's taking longer than we thought.)”
Five collections of columns have been published, sometimes referred to as The Straight Dope Cyclopedia of Human Knowledge:
In addition, the 1993 collection Know It All was published for younger audiences by Cecil's "assistant" Ed Zotti.[5]
In 1996, the A&E Network briefly aired a show based on the column called The Straight Dope, hosted and co-written by comedian Mike Lukas.[6] A podcast has also been released sporadically.