# Has anybody's question been published in Cecil's column? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 16, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179 "2010-01-16T07:41:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PokerAKQJT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b5ac83/32.png) [@PokerAKQJT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PokerAKQJT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/1 "2010-01-16T07:41:02Z")
If so, what question did you ask and do you want to post the link? What great questions have you asked Cecil that did not end up in the column? ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/2 "2010-01-16T12:58:57Z")
No, but three of my Dad’s have. One about how can they call it Grape Nuts, one about can I tape a reply envelope from junk mail to a brick, and one other I can’t recall right now, maybe something about firing squads and one guy firing a blank. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/3 "2010-01-16T16:04:32Z")
FTR, there are **approximately** **9,000** questions asked of Cecil in the queue. Roughly 1,900 of them have been reviewed and rejected by the big guy, although sometimes he goes back and brings one back to life. Of the rest, roughly 3,000 are ones he’s given some thought to, and the balance are ones which he’s tossed to the Straight Dope Staff to look at. Those numbers are a bit deceptive, as there are many repeat or duplicate questions. In terms of unique questions, the number is probably more like half all of the above numbers. So looking at the ones that Cecil takes seriously and which he doesn’t toss to the Staff to examine, at 52 per year he has a queue of about 28 years. However, he doesn’t start from the back and work forward, so many new questions are answered each year - I don’t have hard figures, but I would say that perhaps as many as half of all the questions answered were mailed in within a year prior to the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/4 "2010-01-16T17:21:22Z")
Since this is about Cecil’s columns, I think it fits better in CCC than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/5 "2010-01-19T15:13:33Z")
I’ve had 2 questions answered published in his columns over the years. Here’s one: [link 1](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2763/whats-the-deal-on-vermiculite) ETA: I beleive it was answered about a year after I submitted it. I can’t remember what the other one was but it was waaay back in the 80’s with a different name, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/6 "2010-01-19T15:58:41Z")
Though I didn’t ask him directly, Cecil recently used a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=544771) I started about the Marshall Field’s/Macy’s conversion for one of his [SD Chicago](http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdc20100107.php) columns. Prior to that, I’d sent a question to the “Ask the Master” link in November 2008 and received an e-mail proclaiming it had made the first cut – but nothing since then. I’m still holding out before putting into GQ, though… just in case. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/7 "2010-01-19T17:27:12Z")
Not a “question,” per se, but the lead-in to [Can the candirú fish swim upstream into your urethra (revisited)? (September 7, 2001)](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2288/can-the-candir-fish-swim-upstream-into-your-urethra-revisited) Also honorable mention in [“A plane is standing on a runway. . .” No, it’s not. Here’s why. (March 3, 2006)](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2642/a-plane-is-standing-on-a-runway-no-its-not-heres-why). ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/8 "2010-01-19T18:33:53Z")
Yes. IRL, my name is Tim, although my Unca Cece calls me [Timsy](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_307.html). ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/9 "2010-01-21T01:55:56Z")
I think [Was a Model’s Penis Visible in a 1975 Sears Catalog?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1259/was-a-models-penis-visible-in-a-1975-sears-catalog) was my first one. 1997 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/10 "2010-01-21T02:23:32Z")
> [@JillGat](#): > > I think [Was a Model’s Penis Visible in a 1975 Sears Catalog?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1259/was-a-models-penis-visible-in-a-1975-sears-catalog) was my first one. 1997 So, you’re a perv? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybodys-question-been-published-in-cecils-column/525179/11 "2010-01-21T05:49:45Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > So, you’re a perv? 🙂 Now we go way back, **samclem**. You know the answer to that.