[PW] How to research "where is this joke from"

[Condell, Joan]

My ultimate question is in the subject line, but I wanted to provide you
its somewhat long backstory.

A colleague, to whom I'd told a joke months ago, came to me and wanted
to know where I'd heard the joke so he could properly credit it in a
speech he was doing for Toastmasters.  I tried variations of Google
searches involving key elements of the joke, but got way too many hits.
I went back and located the joke in my email "Sent" box, but I had
deleted the miles of headers and nested >>>s of quoted text before I
passed it on.  I have no idea who originally sent it to me, but, armed
with the full text I was able to return to Google and enter a more
specific search with the right terms.  Even so, I got over 500 hits.
And the joke varied slightly between the dozen or so instances I
checked.  

I gave him a list of a few of the varied places I'd found it, as well as
the full text of the joke as I had received it, and he was happy.  I'm
not.  Now to my ultimate question:

How does one research the question "where is this joke from?"  Are there
any reference works on jokes or humorous stories that might help?  Is it
even possible to definitively answer a question like this?  

Yes, it's Friday, and I really do have better things to do, but this was
going to bug me until I asked the Collective Wisdom.

- Joan

P.S.  I'm willing to send the joke to anyone who requests it.  I didn't
post it with my question because it's a little long.


> Joan Condell
>   Cataloger, Dallas Public Library
>       jcondell<at>dallaslibrary<dot>org
> 
>                   >^..^<
> Purr and the world purrs with you.   
>           Hiss and you hiss alone.     
> 
>