Cecil Adams

Cecil Adams is the pseudonymous author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader from 1973 to 2018. The true identity of Adams, whether a single individual or a group of authors, has remained unknown. The Chicago Reader's 1986 trademark filing for the name "Cecil Adams" states that "Cecil Adams does not identify any particular individual but was devised as a fanciful name."[1] Ed Zotti is the current editor of the column.[2] Cecil Adams is affectionately known to readers and fans (and sometimes refers to himself) as Uncle Cece.

The column has since been syndicated in 31 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' term for his readers), often claiming overwork and staff shortages. On rare occasions, Adams has made appearances on the Straight Dope's Message Board.

A subsidiary column concerning questions of local interest in Adams' home city of Chicago has been added.

Personal details

Adams states that he has "never been photographed" and while there is at least one photo captioned with his name, the image is of Ed Zotti, who currently fulfills Adams's publicity engagements.[3] Previous editors include Mike Lenehan and Dave Kehr.

In his columns, Adams has revealed a few details of his personal life, including the existence of a Mrs. Adams (the FAQ section on his website states that chance references to "Mrs. Adams" may refer to his mother), that he has a brother-in-law, and that he has either children or dwarves as helpers.[4] He has a brother.[5] He is an accomplished traveler, and currently resides in Chicago's 47th Ward.[6] He is also left-handed[4] and may be balding[7] and colorblind.[8] He mentions having taken a class with Northwestern University English Professor Bergen Evans,[9] mentions once working as an electrician's apprentice,[10] and a railroad machinist's helper.[11] He also mentions attending a Catholic school.[12] He is of Irish descent,[13] and relaxes with Pink Floyd and Baileys.[14]

Published works

Adams has published five collections of his The Straight Dope columns, and Zotti has published a children's collection in The Straight Dope style entitled Know It All. Adams' columns are archived at the Straight Dope website. In 1996, the A&E Network briefly aired a show hosted by comedian Mike Lukas based on the column, also called The Straight Dope.

Over 600 articles have been posted to the site's online archive; some of these contain multiple questions and answers. Also included with the columns are quirky illustrations. Slug Signorino, in addition to a successful commercial art career, was the regular illustrator for The Straight Dope for forty-two years. In his illustrations, Cecil Adams is often depicted as a large turkey wearing a mortar board.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 30 Aug 2013.
  2. ↑ Advance Publication Newsletter; Volume Seventeen, Number 3 Penguin Group (USA)
  3. ↑ Piper, Paul S. (February 1995). "What makes Cecil Adams the world's greatest reference librarian?". American Libraries. 26 (2): 147. ISSN 0002-9769. OCLC 854299.
  4. 1 2 "The Straight Dope: Who is this man called Cecil Adams?". StraightDope.com. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  5. ↑ Adams, Cecil. "What is a felo-de-se?". The Straight Dope. Sun-Times Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  6. ↑ Adams, Cecil (2010-09-23). "Are Chicago streets swept frequently so the city can collect more fines?". The Straight Dope Chicago. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  7. ↑ Adams, Cecil (1992-08-28). "Does sex make your acne worse?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  8. ↑ Adams, Cecil (1986-03-07). "Who decided red means "stop" and green means "go"?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  9. ↑ Adams, Cecil (2005-10-14). "Why is William Shakespeare considered the greatest English language writer of all time?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  10. ↑ Adams, Cecil (1992-11-20). "How come the U.S. uses 120 volt electricity, not 240 like the rest of the world?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  11. ↑ "Cecil! Tell us about you smashing the building with the crane! - Straight Dope Message Board". Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  12. ↑ Adams, Cecil (1996-02-16). "Why is the heart considered the center of love and affection?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  13. ↑ Adams, Cecil (1993-07-30). "Who are the "black Irish"?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  14. ↑ Adams, Cecil (2010-07-30). "Can binaural beats improve your mood?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  15. ↑ "The Slug Signorino FAQ". Retrieved 26 November 2010.
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