'Heroin Moreish' gag is very moreish

I'm not saying this cartoon in today's Private Eye is unoriginal, but...

Don't I remember David Walliams saying "I can't be with you today, as I am busy taking heroin - be careful, it's a little moreish" in the guise of Lou Reed, at the 2002 NME Awards? (I can't find the clip, but here's an online citation).

And didn't Harry Hill famously have it as part of his act? This popular meme certainly thinks so...

It's a commonly used phrase, as this blog seems not to even need to mention its origin.  And it's already made its way onto a popular range of t-shirts:

Here's a forum where Russell Brand's being slagged off for using the gag, and here you can see Superhans in Peep Show saying it, but about crack.



It's so common, some people use it with no sense of irony. And here the Telegraph has decided, again with irony-filter off, that it's cocaine that's moreish.

And here's someone using the gag in a review about a football book.

Urban dictionary even uses the gag as the dictionary definition of Heroin!

So the lesson we've learned today is,  the "heroin is very moreish" gag? Well it is very - oh, you were ahead of me.

UPDATE: I'd like to apologise to cartoonist Jonesy, from whom I've received the following message that he'd like me to pass on :

Hand on heart, I had never come across this gag before. I'm not the first person to accidentally reinvent the wheel and I'm sure I won't be the last.
One thing I am sure of is that I don't need to resort to plagiarism to get my work published and I definitely don't need to "go online to find the next gag to sell to Private Eye".
You're welcome to visit my portfolio page on the PCO site:
http://procartoonists.org/portfolios/stevejones/
where you'll find a selection of my work which will, hopefully, assuage any doubts you have about both my integrity and ability to get original work published on a regular basis.
You may also care to visit my own website:
www.jonesycartoons.com
Just as I understand why you have written this article, I'm sure you'll understand why it should cause me great disappointment and no little offence.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Steve
(Jonesy Cartoons)

See also: Birth of an unoriginal original gag
and "A Site For Tired Eyes" stolen gag vs old idea



The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre ...And So Am I runs from July 30 - August 22 2014 at 10.30pm in The Gilded Balloon at The Edinburgh Fringe. Tickets are on sale already.