This is the kind of thing that drives me nuts.
I read this and I think “Dammit, that has just been sitting there for someone to think of, and he thought of it and I didn’t.”
That’s funny because I actually had a moment of panic (no, too strong a word) after I posted that. I googled < “single malt” milkshake > and was relieved - and surprised - to see that indeed, nobody had done that joke before.
Good advice for anyone. I spend a great deal of time re-writing a tweet before posting, and I had this idea “Never get into a pissing match with a race horse.” Before wasting my time on it, I found that someone posted that exact phrase on their blog already.
Perhaps a new Twitter client in the making? One that searches the Twitter database for similar phrases in your tweet before posting?
Really though? Has anyone who ever stepped on a used joke really regretted it, or did they just find a friendly connection because of it? I suppose with something like this, a relatively simple trick of wordplay, one might be concerned that it hasn’t just been done, it’s been done to death and you just never heard of it. But even then, if you’re trying at all there is a good chance you’ve put some kind of spin on it that makes it your joke, or at least it’s in your voice. And it’s clearly not plagiaristic, it’s an accident.
I think people worry too much.
EDIT: I think what I’m trying to say is this: I would sooner apologize or laugh at the shared experience than spend time trying to figure out who I’m ripping off.
How soon we forget the ire raised when ErsatzMoe accidentally repeated a nostrich joke!
