Searches , social queries for THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
Search references for THE STRAIGHT-DOPE. Phrases containing THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
See searches and references containing THE STRAIGHT-DOPE!
Search references for THE STRAIGHT-DOPE. Phrases containing THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
See searches and references containing THE STRAIGHT-DOPE!THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
Column published in the Chicago Reader
The Straight Dope was a question-and-answer newspaper column written under the pseudonym Cecil Adams. Contributions were made by multiple authors, and
The_Straight_Dope
American journalist (born 1951)
credited as being the "editor and confidant" of Cecil Adams, the pseudonym of the writer of the column "The Straight Dope", published by the Chicago Reader
Ed_Zotti
Australian journalist
chief reporter. He is the winner of the Walkley Book Award for The Straight Dope, the inside story of the Essendon and Cronulla doping scandals, published
Chip_Le_Grand
American humorist
the pseudonymous author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in the Chicago Reader from February 2, 1973 to 2018. The
Cecil_Adams
American journalist and writer (1967–2025)
People' living under the streets of New York City?", The Straight Dope, January 9, 2004 "The Mole People revisited", The Straight Dope, March 5, 2004 Appearances
Jennifer_Toth
Court with little or no judicial credibility
4, 1985). "What's the origin of "kangaroo court"? Is "kangaroo" aborigine for "I don't know"?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on August
Kangaroo_court
People who live in tunnels underground
Cecil (2004-03-05). "The Mole People revisited". The Straight Dope. Chicago Reader, Inc. Morton, Margaret (1995). The Tunnel. The Architecture of Despair
Mole_people
American kidnapper (born 1944)
with those "John 3:16" signs, The Straight Dope Umphrey, Eric (September 2, 2021). "Rollen Stewart "The Rainbow Man"". The Times. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
Rollen_Stewart
1993 non-fiction book by Jennifer Toth
2025-04-23. Adams, Cecil (2004-03-05). "The Straight Dope: The Mole People Revisited". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 2004-03-07. Retrieved 2025-04-23
The_Mole_People_(book)
Nonsense word created by Edward Lear
— the connection being that a runcible spoon's cutting edge resembles a sword such as was used in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. The Straight Dope adds
Runcible
American actress (1874–1965)
http://crimemagazine.com Straight Dope staff report by John Corrado The Lights are Warm and Colored on YouTube performed by the St. Louis City Players,
Nance_O'Neil
US Army airborne exclamation
mil. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-04-01. Geronimo at B-Westerns, retrieved 4 June 2007. The Straight Dope Why do parachutists
Geronimo_(exclamation)
Unsubstantiated sexual practice
from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012. Adams, Cecil (1986). "Is It True What they Say About Gerbils?" The Straight Dope, March
Gerbilling
Statistical error from focusing on successes over failures
unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?". The Straight Dope. 19 July 1996. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2008
Survivorship_bias
Elongated visual artifacts appearing in media
illusion of a rod. A 2000 report by staff at The Straight Dope also offered a similar explanation, namely that the phenomena are explainable as tricks of light
Rod_(optical_phenomenon)
British sceptic (born 1961)
England. He has been a contributor to The Straight Dope Message Board and guest contributor of Staff Reports under the user name ianzin. Citing Rowland's
Ian_Rowland
Probability puzzle
#3?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 25 July 2005. Barbeau, Edward (1993). "Fallacies, Flaws, and Flimflam: The Problem of the Car and Goats". The College
Monty_Hall_problem
Neurological phenomenon associated with urination
question-and-answer newspaper column The Straight Dope credited the origin of the term to Peter H.M. Brooks when a reader inquired about the phenomenon. There has yet
Post-micturition convulsion syndrome
Post-micturition_convulsion_syndrome
American family known for blue skin
(July 24, 1998). "Is there really a race of blue people?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
Blue_Fugates
Aircraft fabric chemical finish
aeroplane dope and rubber solvents" (PDF). Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 1 (4): 238–246. doi:10.1136/oem.1.4.238. Berry, Michael C. "The Straight Dope
Aircraft_dope
1999 crime thriller film by Bruce Beresford
gives people a free pass to commit the crime they were wrongfully convicted of. The newspaper column The Straight Dope observed, "a crime, for double jeopardy
Double_Jeopardy_(1999_film)
Insect larva added for flavor to mezcal
infest maguey Insects as food "The Straight Dope: Why is there a worm in bottles of tequila?". 2 July 1999. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved
Mezcal_worm
Drink laced with drugs
Finn?". The Straight Dope. January 18, 1991. "Extry! Extry! They've taken Mickey Finn". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 8, 1918. p. 1. "Drugs to the Non-Tippers
Mickey_Finn_(drugs)
American con artist and murderer (1861–1896)
"The Straight Dope: Did Dr. Henry Holmes Kill 200 People at a Bizarre 'Castle' in 1890s Chicago?". The Straight Dope. July 6, 1979. Archived from the original
H._H._Holmes
Fictitious street on a map
from the original on 2015-09-24. Chang, Justin (2013-09-06). "Venice Film Review: 'Trap Street'". Variety. Retrieved 2014-05-11. "The Straight Dope: Do
Trap_street
Traditional British dessert
2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2022. "What's the origin of "spotted dick"?". The Straight Dope. Chicago Sun-Times
Spotted_dick
Effect in physics
it out (revisited)?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-29. Wakeham, David. "The shower curtain effect"
Shower-curtain_effect
German war criminal (1906–1967)
Cecil (4 June 2004). "Did the Nazis make lampshades out of human skin?". The Straight Dope. Ilse Koch (1906–1967) (dailymotion). The Most Evil Women in History
Ilse_Koch
Ejection of a human being from a specially designed cannon
Herald-Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2012. Cecil Adams (1991-06-21). "The Straight Dope: How do "human cannonballs" survive?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-06-16
Human_cannonball
Fictional drug
taken seriously. Columnist Cecil Adams reported in The Straight Dope: The wire services, and after them the whole country, fell for it hook, line, and roach
Bananadine
Nickname for Chicago, Illinois, US
Michael Quinion at WorldWideWords.org Windy City, The Straight Dope. Ongoing updates to the source of the name. Nathan Bierma, "Windy City: Where did it
Windy_City_(nickname)
Term that describes an insignificant location
Town Called – What?". The Washington Post. Mencken, H.L. (September 25, 1948). "The Podunk Mystery". The New Yorker. The Straight Dope: Where is Podunk? October
Podunk
Ability of cats to land on their feet
(1996-07-19). "The Straight Dope: Do cats always land unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on
Cat_righting_reflex
Cat injury from falling from a building
always land unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?". The Straight Dope. 19 July 1996. Retrieved 13 May 2021. Vnuk, D.; Pirkić, B.; Matičić
High-rise_syndrome
Alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago
from advertisers. "The Straight Dope", by the pseudonymous Cecil Adams, was the Chicago Reader's first weekly column and one of the first features to be
Chicago_Reader
Series of fortifications in northern China
"Is the Great wall of China the only manmade object byou can see from space? Archived February 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine", The Straight Dope. Accessed
Great_Wall_of_China
1919 accident in Massachusetts, United States
flooded with molasses?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 16, 2006. Mayville, Ronald (August 31, 2014). "The Great Boston Molasses
Great_Molasses_Flood
Fear of the number 13
Cecil Adams (1992-11-06). "Why is the number 13 considered unlucky?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2011-05-13. Friday the 13th Superstitions Rooted in Bible
Triskaidekaphobia
Measurement of the human penis
PMID 12230622. Cecil, Adams (26 August 2003). "The size of things to come". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 5
Human_penis_size
Outline drawn on the ground marking evidence at a crime scene
around the body?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2013-04-29. "Do CSIs Really Use Chalk Outlines?". forensics4fiction. 2011-08-24. Archived from the original
Chalk_outline
American actress (born 1987)
the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2012, and has starred on the Bravo comedy Odd Mom Out, the NBC sitcom Indebted, and the
Abby_Elliott
Nickname for New York City
"Why is New York called the Big Apple?", The Straight Dope Popik, Barry "The Big Apple". Research by Barry Popik and others with the text of contemporary
Big_Apple
American child prodigy (1898–1944)
Sidis Archives at Sidis.net Works by William James Sidis at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks) Article about William James Sidis at "The Straight Dope"
William_James_Sidis
English word
2011. Adams, Cecil (1 January 1985). "What does "OK" stand for?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 11 September 2013. Badger, Herbert Andrew (1971). "A Descriptive
OK
Sex position
converts in the era of European colonialism. "Assuming the missionary position… again". The Straight Dope. Cecil Adams. 2005-06-17. Archived from the original
Missionary_position
Catchphrase used by Tonto
Cecil (July 18, 1997). "In the old Lone Ranger series, what did "kemosabe" mean?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011
Ke-mo_sah-bee
Region in North America where heavy snowfall is common
Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2013. Staff: Straight Dope Science Advisory Board (May 30, 2002). "What's the physics behind
Snowbelt
1952 film by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Adams, Cecil. "Aren't the show tunes "Be a Clown" and "Make 'Em Laugh" suspiciously similar?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on January
Singin'_in_the_Rain
One's current state of health, usually within a hospital
is in 'critical' or 'serious' condition?", The Straight Dope, 18 October 1999. Archived 2007-12-04 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed on 10 January 2011
Medical_state
American businessman
"Why did this guy Phillips think we needed a new type of screw?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 9 May 2014. "Patent Application". Retrieved 23 November
Henry_F._Phillips
Misconceptions about the normal distribution Mondegreen Pseudodoxia Epidemica QI Scientific misconceptions Superseded theories in science The Straight Dope Tornado
List_of_common_misconceptions
American clairvoyant (1877–1945)
159. Straight Dope Staff (January 16, 2001). "What's the scoop on Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet"?: A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE
Edgar_Cayce
Numbers in the Roman numeral system
ISBN 978-0-19-534800-2. Adams, Cecil; Zotti, Ed (1988). More of the straight dope. Ballantine Books. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-345-35145-6. Asimov, Isaac (1966)
Roman_numerals
American woman acquitted of murder (1860–1927)
with an axe because she was discovered having a lesbian affair?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved November 21, 2008. Koorey, Stefani (June 19, 2022). "No
Lizzie_Borden
Various acts of throwing shoes at targets, people or raised wires
1996). "The Straight Dope: Why do you see pairs of shoes hanging by the laces from power lines?". The Straight Dope. Chicago Reader. Archived from the original
Shoe_throwing
Book by Carlos Castaneda
quotations related to The Teachings of Don Juan. Castaneda bibliography "The Straight Dope: Did Carlos Castaneda hallucinate that stuff in the Don Juan books
The_Teachings_of_Don_Juan
Common marking and a meme from World War II
"Kilroy Was Here" by Patrick Tillery "What's the origin of 'Kilroy was here'?", The Straight Dope On the legend from snopes.com Chad drawn in an army
Kilroy_was_here
17th-century European spiritual movement
Reverse Spins: The Mysterious Rosicrucian... Straight Dope (The): Straight Dope Staff Report: What is Rosicrucianism all about? archived from the original What
Rosicrucianism
Opening line to many comic limericks
Cecil (March 8, 1985). "How does the limerick 'There was an old man of Nantucket ...' conclude?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved March 6, 2012. Anonymous
There once was a man from Nantucket
There_once_was_a_man_from_Nantucket
Periodic shedding of the uterine lining
the original on 21 June 2015. Adams C (24 September 1999). "What's the link between the moon and menstruation?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the
Menstruation
Pain scale for insect stings
published scientific papers use a 1 through 4 number scale, an entry in The Straight Dope reported that "implausibly exact numbers" such as "bullhorn acacia
Schmidt_sting_pain_index
Façade making something seem better than in reality
Potemkin was real. Including the villages]. Die Welt (in German). "Did 'Potemkin villages' really exist?". The Straight Dope. 14 November 2003. Aleksandr
Potemkin_village
Typographic character indicating a question (?)
Introduction to the History of Punctuation in the West. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07941-8. The Straight Dope on the question mark Archived
Question_mark
Apparatus designed for carrying out executions by beheading
Fabricius, Jørn. "The Guillotine Headquarters". Does the head remain briefly conscious after decapitation (revisited)? (from The Straight Dope) Scientific American
Guillotine
Placeholder text used in publishing and graphic design
2017-04-07. Adams, Cecil (February 2001). "What does the filler text 'lorem ipsum' mean?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 3 June 2022. "LaTeX lipsum package"
Lorem_ipsum
Magic word
name. Caruso, Steve (29 January 2014). "Abracadabra is NOT Aramaic". The Straight Dope Message Board (1 March 1999). "Abracadabra". Sammonicus, Quintus Serenus
Abracadabra
Mayonnaise-based cold sauce
(2nd, extended ed.). Budapest: Magyar Nők Lapjá. p. 20. An explanation of the name's origin, from The Straight Dope A definition at Allrecipes.com v t e
Tartar_sauce
Private messenger and guard for rail or stagecoach transit
(1905). The Sunset Trail. A. L. Burt. p. 349. "What's the origin of "riding shotgun"?". The Straight Dope. Chicago Reader. 2004-04-13. Retrieved 2006-07-26
Shotgun_messenger
Steel produced prior to the 1940s
radioactivity?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2011. Oelbaum, Jed (10 May 2018). "The Worldwide Scavenger
Low-background_steel
Breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's
"InteliHealth". Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2008-01-21. "The Straight Dope Mailbag: The Straight Dope Mailbag: Why do Corn Pops come
Corn_Pops
Gunfighting maneuver
25, 2004). "Did Western gunfighters really face off one-on-one?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved on May 1, 2011. Bankes, James (June 12, 2006). "Wild Bill
Road_agent's_spin
Iranian refugee (1945–2022)
"Has a guy been stuck in the Paris airport since 1988 for lack of the right papers?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009
Mehran_Karimi_Nasseri
Homophobic slur
Look up faggot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. How did "faggot" get to mean "male homosexual"? on The Straight Dope. Portals: LGBTQ Language Society
Faggot
Nonce word
October 9, 2011 Over the Hedge comic strip. Adams, Cecil. 'In Steve Miller's "The Joker," what is "the pompatus of love"?'. The Straight Dope, 1996. Steve Miller
Pompatus
Cats with genetic anomaly that causes extra toes
captains considered them lucky?". The Straight Dope. Chicago Reader. Sun-Times Media Group. ISSN 1096-6919. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved
Polydactyl_cat
Spun sugar confection
Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015. "Cotton Candy". The Straight Dope. February 7, 2000. Archived from the original on
Cotton_candy
American murderer executed in Texas (1954–1984)
by lethal injection, do they swab off the arm first?"Archived 2008-05-26 at the Wayback Machine The Straight Dope. Taylor, Paul (March 14, 1984). "Texas
James_Autry
Earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil
rains?", The Straight Dope, Sun-Times Media Group, retrieved 2018-01-04 Petrichor, U.K. Met office. Why Is the Smell After It Rains So Appealing? The Petrichor
Petrichor
Mountain in the American state of Utah
a peek at the Ogden mountain". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2011. "The Straight Dope on the Paramount
Ben_Lomond_Mountain_(Utah)
In Judaism and Christianity, a tree in the Garden of Eden
551–572 "The City of God (Book XIII), Chapter 14". Newadvent.org. Retrieved 2014-02-07. Adams, Cecil (2006-11-24). "The Straight Dope: Was the forbidden
Tree of the knowledge of good and evil
Tree_of_the_knowledge_of_good_and_evil
American film critic (born 1953)
edited The Reader's question and answer column, "The Straight Dope". He next wrote as a film critic for The Chicago Tribune (1986–1992). He moved to the East
Dave_Kehr
Cause of death
to spread. Reports of death by coconut became so widespread that The Straight Dope, a newspaper column devoted to exposing myths, reported that it had
Death_by_coconut
Vegetable oil pressed from castor beans
Mussolini use castor oil as an instrument of torture?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2014-08-09. Howarth, GA
Castor_oil
Supposed 1943 US Navy experiment
Cecil (1987-10-23). "Did the U.S. Navy teleport ships in the Philadelphia Experiment?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved
Philadelphia_Experiment
Egg-based dish
Retrieved May 20, 2026. "What's up with "Deviled" eggs, ham, etc.?". The Straight Dope. October 12, 2004. Retrieved January 3, 2022. Symposium, Oxford Oxford;
Deviled_egg
Group of animated short films
related to Censored Eleven. The Censored Eleven at Golden Age Cartoons Did Bugs Bunny appear in a racist cartoon during World War II? – The Straight Dope
Censored_Eleven
Supposed sexual right of medieval lords
"right of the first night" with the local brides?. The Straight Dope, 20 December 1996. At The Wayback Machine Did medieval lords have "right of the first
Droit_du_seigneur
Cecil (November 24, 2006). "Was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden an apple?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved
List of common misconceptions about arts and culture
List_of_common_misconceptions_about_arts_and_culture
American actress (1917–1975)
Wayback Machine (from The Straight Dope) Susan Hayward @ FashionState.com Photographs and bibliography Susan Hayward collection at the University of West
Susan_Hayward
Enclosure of conductive mesh used to block electric fields
Shoplifting Soar". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2009. "What keeps microwave radiation from leaking out the oven door?". The Straight Dope. 4 November
Faraday_cage
Flat board for communicating with spirits
Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural How does a Ouija board work? from The Straight Dope Do Ouija Boards Work – The Fact and Fiction Other
Ouija
2004 book by Christopher Booker
Workers' Liberty, 2005-12-25 "What are the seven basic literary plots?", Cecil Adams, The Straight Dope, 2000-12-24 'The "Basic" Plots in Literature', IPL2
The_Seven_Basic_Plots
American pioneer nurseryman (1774–1845)
Committee of the Johnny Appleseed Commission to the Common Council of the City of Fort Wayne, December 27, 1934 "The Straight Dope: What's the story with
Johnny_Appleseed
Novelty container used for holding coin money
Sparschwein ist leer". Welt. 30 October 2013. Media related to Piggybanks at Wikimedia Commons What's the origin of the piggy bank? (from The Straight Dope)
Piggy_bank
Song from the 1964 Mary Poppins film
a real word referring to Irish hookers?". The Straight Dope. August 6, 2002. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2016
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Form of punishment for sailors
The Straight Dope. Retrieved 13 January 2025. H. A. Ormerod, Piracy in the Ancient World (New York: Dorset Press, 1987), 54–56. C.E. Ioannidou, "The black
Keelhauling
Representation of Arabic in Latin script
example is that of the name Muammar Gaddafi (معمر القذافي) – a 1986 column by The Straight Dope lists 32 spellings known from the US Library of Congress
Romanization_of_Arabic
Withdrawal method of birth-control
Adams C (2002-01-07). "Who wrote the Bible? (Part 1)". The Straight Dope. Creative Loafing Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved
Coitus_interruptus
Humorous muddled words
projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons Quotations from Wikiquote The Straight Dope: Who was Dr. Spooner? Portals: Comedy Linguistics
Spoonerism
Death of an American cancer patient
#291: The Toxic Lady". Skeptoid. Retrieved June 22, 2017. Adams, Cecil (March 22, 1996). "What's the story on the "toxic lady"?". The Straight Dope. Gorman
Death_of_Gloria_Ramirez
travel, tourism, insurance
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
Girl/Female
Hindu, Indian
Straight Forward
Boy/Male
Muslim
Straight
Surname or Lastname
English
English : nickname from Middle English streʒt ‘straight’, ‘upright’, presumably applied in either a literal or a figurative sense.
Girl/Female
Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindu, Indian, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Telugu, Traditional
Straight Forward
Girl/Female
Muslim
Straight, Pertinent
Surname or Lastname
English
English : variant of Straight.
Surname or Lastname
English
English : variant of Surridge 1.
Girl/Female
Arabic, Muslim
Powerful; Straight
Boy/Male
Tamil
Straight, Honest
Boy/Male
Arabic, Muslim, Sindhi
Straight
Girl/Female
Assamese, Gujarati, Hindu, Indian, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Traditional
Straight; Honest; Simple; Straight Forward
Boy/Male
Hindu
Clear, Straight
Boy/Male
Tamil
Straight, Erected
Girl/Female
Arabic, Muslim
Straight; Pertinent
Boy/Male
Arabic, Muslim
Straight
Boy/Male
Muslim
Straight road
Boy/Male
Muslim/Islamic
Straight
Girl/Female
Arabic, Muslim
Straight
Female
German
Pet form of German Kätharina, KÄTHE means "pure."
Girl/Female
Hindu, Indian, Marathi
Straight; Honest
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
THE STRAIGHT-DOPE
travel, tourism, insurance