Straight Dope Archive

Many English words have Latin roots, but what are the roots of Latin?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
February 18, 2003
Was President Bush's great-grandfather a Nazi?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 14, 2003
What's the origin of "cock and bull"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Czarcasm
February 13, 2003
Can black holes in space ever become "normal" again?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chronos
February 11, 2003
Was Chuck Barris a hit man for the CIA?
By Cecil Adams
February 7, 2003
What's the origin of "loophole"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
February 6, 2003
Did the U.S. plan an invasion of Canada in the 1920s?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
February 4, 2003
How do you become a United Nations weapons inspector?
By Cecil Adams
January 31, 2003
Why does the same side of the moon always face the earth?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chronos
January 30, 2003
Where do male porn stars get their stamina?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Euty
January 28, 2003
Is it true half of all marriages end in divorce?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 24, 2003
What's the origin of "yadda yadda"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by SamClem
January 23, 2003
Do Eskimo men lend their wives to strangers?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
January 21, 2003
Are there really "lost cosmonauts" stranded in space?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 17, 2003
What's the story with feng shui?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 16, 2003
What would happen if you put liquid nitrogen in a microwave?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chronos
January 14, 2003
What the heck is "leetspeek?"
By Cecil Adams
January 10, 2003
What makes some animals cold-blooded and others warm-blooded?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by George and Doug
January 9, 2003
How come parrots, etc., talk but chickens don't?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Colibri
January 7, 2003
Nature, fossil fuels, and global warming: How many trees should I plant to balance my yearly CO2 output?
By Cecil Adams
January 3, 2003
Do flies vomit every time they land?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
January 2, 2003
Was the Pied Piper of Hamelin a child molester?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Eutychus
December 31, 2002
"Elvis has left the building." Who said it first?
By Cecil Adams
December 27, 2002
What's the deal with angels?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
December 24, 2002
Does menstrual synchrony really exist?
By Cecil Adams
December 20, 2002
Was the name Wendy invented for the book "Peter Pan"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Czarcasm
December 17, 2002
Was Rachel Carson a fraud and is DDT actually safe for humans?
By Cecil Adams
December 13, 2002
What's the origin of the suffix "-age"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
December 12, 2002
What's the origin of "Tin Pan Alley"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Samclem
December 10, 2002
Was J. Edgar Hoover a cross-dresser?
By Cecil Adams
December 6, 2002
Why do chiggers go away faster if you don't scratch?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
December 5, 2002
Was the Venus flytrap brought to earth by a meteor?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
December 3, 2002
Does the center high-mounted stop lamp reduce rear-end collisions? What are growing pains?
By Cecil Adams
November 29, 2002
Does the "Gallo Law" exempt the winery from estate taxes?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg
November 26, 2002
What exactly is fire?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 22, 2002
Is "dead reckoning" short for "deduced reckoning"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Bibliophage
November 21, 2002
Does it ever get too cold to snow?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
November 19, 2002
Where do chain restaurants get their antiques?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 15, 2002
Does the smell of squished cockroach attract other roaches?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
November 13, 2002
Who was Michael, and why should he row his boat ashore?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
November 12, 2002
Can twins be born a month or two apart?
By Cecil Adams
November 8, 2002
What's the origin of "pigtails"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
November 7, 2002
Who was the "Man in the Iron Mask"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
November 5, 2002
Were there really vomitoriums in ancient Rome?
By Cecil Adams
November 1, 2002
Are clown faces registered by painting them on eggs?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
October 31, 2002
Why did the Beatles break up?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
October 29, 2002
What's in female ejaculate?
By Cecil Adams
October 25, 2002
What's the origin of "baker's dozen"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
October 24, 2002
What's the origin of "grand" meaning $1,000?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
October 24, 2002
What was the Maginot Line?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
October 22, 2002
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