in-joke

English

WOTD – 14 October 2020

Etymology

Fromin(“having familiarity or involvement with somebody”,adjective)+joke.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˈɪnˌd͡ʒəʊk/

• Audio(Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• (General American)IPA^(key):/ˈɪnˌd͡ʒoʊk/

Noun

in-joke(pluralin-jokes)

1. Synonym ofinside joke(“ajokethat isunderstoodormeantto be understood only by certainpeoplewho areawareof thedetails”)

   Synonym:private joke

   Well, it’s a bit of anin-joke,but Fred has been going to start that diet “tomorrow” for the last few months.

   We have anin-joke;whenever someone sings a wrong note, they wipe the mistake off their music with an obvious gesture.

   • 2018,James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination ofHobson-Jobson”,inInternational Journal of Lexicography,volume31,number 4,→DOI,page494:

     Perhaps these quotations arose from somein-jokeof Yule’s, but whatever the case the lexicographical worth of these citations is dubious.

   • 2018November 14, Jesse Hassenger, “Disney Goes Viral with an Ambitious, OverstuffedWreck-It RalphSequel”, inThe A.V. Club‎^[1],archived fromthe originalon21 November 2019:

     Intentionally or not, the movie [Ralph Breaks the Internet] makes Disney feel as enormous as the internet itself, containing a series of micro-targeted idiosyncrasies andin-jokesthat are nonetheless controlled by a cultural monolith (whether that's Disney or whatever massive corporation owns your local ISP).

Usage notes

Anin-jokecan carry the connotation of being slightly sinister, particularly if the subject of the humour is unaware that people find it funny. However in situations where everyone involved is in theingroup, they are harmless – if slightly confusing to anyone not party to the joke.

Derived terms

• in-jokey

Translations

synonym ofinside joke—seeinside joke

See also

• in-group
• Thesaurus:joke

Further reading

• “in-joke,n.”,inLexico,Dictionary;Oxford University Press,2019–2022.