The Straight Dope
{{Short description|Column published in the Chicago Reader}}
{{Infobox website
| name = The Straight Dope
| logo = The Straight Dope.png
| url = {{URL|https://www.straightdope.com|straightdope.com}}
| type = Question and answer
| commercial = Yes
| registration = Required only on forum
| owner = Sun-Times / Straight Dope Publishing
| author = Cecil Adams (pseudonym)
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1973}}
| current_status = No longer updated
}}
{{Italic title}}
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.{{cite web |title= The Straight Dope FAQ |work = Chicago Reader |date = 18 August 2020 |url = https://www.straightdope.com/who-is-cecil-adams/}} It was first published in 1973 in the Chicago Reader as well as in print syndication nationally in the United States,{{Cite web |url=https://www.straightdope.com/pages/newspapers|title=Newspapers carrying The Straight Dope|publisher=The Straight Dope|date=2013-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003122329/https://www.straightdope.com/pages/newspapers|archive-date=2017-10-03}} and on a website with the same name.
The final column was printed on June 27, 2018, including a statement that it was only being placed on hiatus, though the column has not returned.{{Cite web |url=https://www.straightdope.com/a-note-from-cecil-adams-about-the-straight-dope/ |title=A note from Cecil Adams about The Straight Dope |work=Chicago Reader |department=The Straight Dope |first=Cecil |last=Adams |author-link=Cecil Adams |date=27 June 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628173131/https://www.straightdope.com/a-note-from-cecil-adams-about-the-straight-dope/ |archive-date=2018-06-28}}
Name and tagline
The column derives its name from the American idiom meaning roughly "the true information; the full story"{{Cite book|title=McGraw-Hill's dictionary of American idioms and phrasal verbs|last=Spears|first=Richard A.|date=2005 |publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=0-07-143578-6|location=Chicago |oclc=61399219|page=652}} 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.)”
Books
Five collections of columns have been published, sometimes referred to as The Straight Dope Cyclopedia of Human Knowledge:
- The Straight Dope (1984)
- More of the Straight Dope (1988)
- Return of the Straight Dope (1994)
- The Straight Dope Tells All (1998)
- Triumph of the Straight Dope (1999)
In addition, the 1993 collection Know It All was published for younger audiences by Cecil's "assistant" Ed Zotti.{{cite web
|title=The Straight Dope Books
|publisher=The Chicago Reader
|url=https://www.straightdope.com/otheroutlets/books.html
|access-date=2008-01-27
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112174224/https://www.straightdope.com/otheroutlets/books.html
|archive-date=12 January 2008
}}
Television
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.{{cite web|title=Mike Lukas|work=Deja Vu Comedy Club|url=http://www.dejavucomedy.com/comedians.asp?ID=213|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080206193129/http://www.dejavucomedy.com/comedians.asp?ID=213|archive-date= 2008-02-06|url-status=dead}} A podcast has also been released sporadically.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- [https://boards.straightdope.com/ Official forum]
- {{IMDb title|398574}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straight Dope, The}}
Category:Publications established in 1973
Category:Publications disestablished in 2018
Category:1973 establishments in Illinois