The Stright Dope

[Nomadic_One]

Where did the title “The Stright Dope” origionally come from, and has/does Cecil Adams ever give any answers based on opinion just for a kick?

[UncleBill]

You’d be surprised at the hits googling ‘“straight dope” origin’, but I got this story from Word Detective after they discuss “dope” meaning drugs.

And, since you were just about to ask, the use of “dope” to mean “inside information” (as in “the straight dope”) probably comes from the “dope,” or stimulant drugs, once given to racehorses to improve their performance. Knowing that a certain horse had been “doped” would, of course, be invaluable information for any bettor, and “dope” eventually came to mean the information itself.

[Nomadic_One]

ahh, thanks for the info bill, yea I googled and was confused. thanks.

[Cardinal]

Especially if you were spelling it like that.