"Cecil Adams" is a name, possibly a pseudonym, designating the United States/American author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader since 1973. The Chicago Readers 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." Ed Zotti is Adams' current editor.

The column has since been syndicated in 30 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, 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's home city of Chicago has been added.

More Cecil Adams on Wikipedia.

We're even showing Crash, a modern-day look at all the diverse cultures and how they (interact) ? that's for the youth, the younger folks, so to speak.

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For a first year, we were pleasantly surprised. I think it's going to be a tremendous showing.

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