# Did Someone From The Straight Dope E-Mail The 'Colonel' Answer To Lopate Show Today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 19, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957 "2005-10-19T18:31:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/1 "2005-10-19T18:31:38Z")
Mundane comment about a question answered on the airwaves today: [Why is “colonel” pronounced “kernel”?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_250.html) Other than an occasional crossword clue, you really don’t see or hear the Straight Dope mentioned quite often in public media. Today, on Public Radio Station WNYC 93.9FM in NYC, I heard a rare exception to that rule. During the noon hour, on the Leonard Lopate Show, monthly guest (and wordsmith) [Patricia O’Conner](http://www.grammarphobia.com/) was stumped on a caller’s question about the pronunciation origins of the military word; **colonel**. After Ms. O’Connor fumbled through the Oxford-English Dictionary for a moment, and read a line or two about the word colonel’s Italian origins from its entry, someone from quickly e-mailed a more [elaborate and detailed answer](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_250.html). Whether that uncredited individual works on the staff of the Straight Dope, is an SDSAB member, posts here on the SDMB - or just someone with quick Google skills who decided to answer on behalf of the Dope is still a mystery to me. Whodunit? As a small aside, I take issue with (the usually humorous) host Lopate’s opinion on the answer’s ‘anglo-phobic’, tone. He must’ve forgotten one of the tenets of life; ‘If the shoe fits, wear it’. If you’d like to catch the +/- 40 minute segment, hear the Straight Dope call-out and learn the origins of the words such as; windfall, slipshod and scuttlebutt: the mp3 simulcast will most likely be available later today [here,](http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/10192005) on the WNYC website page of the Leonard Lopate Show. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/2 "2005-10-19T20:30:14Z")
I heard it too and got excited. I meant to start a thread on it but you beat me to it. OK dopers, fess up! Whodunnit? ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/3 "2005-10-19T21:08:03Z")
[Here’s](http://www.wnyc.org/stream/ram.py?file=/lopate/lopate101905a.mp3) the audio. The SD reference begins at 25 minutes exactly. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/4 "2005-10-19T22:50:19Z")
Broken link. Try [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_250.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_250.html) ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/5 "2005-10-19T23:28:34Z")
No name given, rats! The sender of the email is anonymous. They didn’t mention Cecil either. TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/6 "2005-10-20T05:16:08Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > No name given, rats! The sender of the email is anonymous. > > They didn’t mention Cecil either. > > TubaDiva Hey **TD** , Ya think we might cast a wider net in MPSIMS? ---
**Author:** ![winkerwatson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ea666f/32.png) [@winkerwatson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/winkerwatson)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/7 "2009-05-04T03:18:22Z")
dunno what yer all on aboot but as to the colonel pronounciation question and answer i saw it and would like to say why do people pronounce kernel like this: KERR-NOLL and not like this: KERR-NELL.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-someone-from-the-straight-dope-e-mail-the-colonel-answer-to-lopate-show-today/326957/8 "2009-05-04T04:13:30Z")
\ Suggest you ask it in General Questions. This is 1) for comments on Cecil’s Columns and 2) a long-dead thread. Feel free to ask in GQ. Closed. \