Cecil Adams

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. The author is believedwho? to be Ed Zotti, who claimswho? to be Adams' "assistant and 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 Being," 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, Cecil has been forced to retract an answer or at least modify it substantially when confronted by "the teeming millions" (Cecil's affectionate term for his readers), which he does in a gentlemanly and good-humored manner, 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." [cite journal | last = Piper | first = Paul S. | year = 1995 | month = February | title = What makes Cecil Adams the world's greatest reference librarian? | journal = American Libraries | volume = 26 | issue = 2 | pages = p. 147 | issn = 0002-9769 | id = oclc| 854299 | format = photograph 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,cite web | url = http://www.straightdope.com/faq/officialfaq.html | title = The Straight Dope: Who is this man called Cecil Adams? | accessdate = 2007-04-19 | work = StraightDope.com | publisher = "The Chicago Reader" ] one article describes him making out with Mrs. Adams. [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_201.html | title = Does passionate kissing cause your chewing gum to disintegrate? | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-04-19 ] 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 [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_217.html | title = Does sex make your acne worse? | date = 1992-08-28 | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-04-19 ] and colorblind. [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_152.html | title = Who decided red means "stop" and green means "go"? | date = 1986-03-07 | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-04-19 ] He apparently attended Northwestern University (he mentions having taken a class with Northwestern English Professor Bergen Evans) [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/columns/051014.html | title = Why is William Shakespeare considered the greatest English language writer of all time? | date = 2005-10-14 | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-04-19 ] but also mentions once working as an electrician's apprentice. [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_292.html | title = How come the U.S. uses 120 volt electricity, not 240 like the rest of the world? | date = 1992-11-20 | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-04-19 ] He also mentions going to Catholic School and being taught by nuns. [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_271.html | title = Why is the heart considered the center of love and affection? | date = 1996-02-16 | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-09-07 ] He is of Irish descent. [cite news | last = Adams | first = Cecil | url = http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_077.html | title = Who are the "black Irish"? | date = 1993-07-30 | work = The Straight Dope | publisher = The Chicago Reader | accessdate = 2007-10-08 ]

Published works

Cecil Adams' columns are archived at the Straight Dope website, which also hosts a popular internet forum, and there is a popular Usenet group, alt.fan.cecil-adams, as well. In 1996, the A&E Network briefly aired a show hosted by comedian Mike Lukas based on the column called, of course, "The Straight Dope".

To date, Adams has published five collections of his "The Straight Dope" columns, and has watched as his "assistant" 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 Cecil, is very secretive. His illustrations often depict Adams as a turkey wearing a mortar board.

Cecil regularly refers to his readership as "the teeming millions," a phrase used at least as early as 1857. [http://books.google.com/books?id=Kuq1AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA16&dq=%22teeming+millions%22 ]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.straightdope.com/ The Straight Dope website]