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Cecil Adams
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Cecil Adams is a name, possibly a pseudonym, which designates the author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader since 1973. Ed Zotti is Adams' editor.
The column has since been syndicated in thirty newspapers in the United States and Canada and is available online. Billed as the "World's Smartest Human," Adams responds to often unusual inquiries with abrasive humor (often directed against the questioner), and at times exhaustive research into obscure and arcane issues, urban legends, and the like.
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Encyclopedia
Cecil Adams is a name, possibly a pseudonym, which designates the author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader since 1973. Ed Zotti is Adams' editor.
The column has since been syndicated in thirty newspapers in the United States and Canada and is available online. Billed as the "World's Smartest Human," Adams responds to often unusual inquiries with abrasive humor (often directed against the questioner), and at times exhaustive research into obscure and arcane issues, urban legends, and the like. On more than one occasion, Adams has been forced to retract or modify an answer when confronted by "the teeming millions" (Adams's term for his readers), often claiming overwork and staff shortages. On rare occasions, Adams has made appearances on the Straight Dope's Message Board.
Personal details
Adams claims that he has "never been photographed," but Ed Zotti, who fulfills Adams's publicity engagements, has appeared in at least one photo captioned "Cecil Adams."
In his columns, Adams has revealed a few details of his personal life. Although the FAQ section on his website states that chance references to "Mrs. Adams" may refer to his mother, one article describes him kissing Mrs. Adams and another specifically mentions his wife as "in charge of Straight Dope Inc.'s vast world holdings". Likewise, a reference to his "little researchers" may or may not suggest that he has children. He is an accomplished traveler, and currently resides in Chicago. He is also left-handed and may be balding and colorblind. He apparently attended Northwestern University (he mentions having taken a class with Northwestern English Professor Bergen Evans) but also mentions once working as an electrician's apprentice. He also mentions going to Catholic School and being taught by nuns. He is of Irish descent.
Published works
Adams' columns are archived at the Straight Dope website, which also hosts an internet forum. Enthusiasts also participate in a Usenet group, alt.fan.cecil-adams. In 1996, the A&E Network briefly aired a show hosted by comedian Mike Lukas based on the column also called The Straight Dope.
To date, Adams has published five collections of his The Straight Dope columns, and Zotti has published a children's collection in The Straight Dope style titled Know It All.
He has been "fighting ignorance since 1973" (which is the column's motto), and there are more than 600 articles available for browsing in the online archive. Columns are accompanied by illustrations; the regular illustrator for over two decades is Slug Signorino, a successful commercial artist, who, like Adams, is very secretive. His illustrations often depict Adams as a turkey wearing a mortar board.
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