In-joke In-joke

In-joke - Definition and Overview

An in joke is a joke whose humour is clear only to those people who are in a group that has some prior knowledge (not known by the whole population) that makes the joke humorous. Also called an inside joke.

This group of people could be, for example:

  • a nuclear family or (parts of) an extended family
  • just a few people who work together
  • people of the same vocation or profession
  • residents of a particular town or region
  • viewers of a particular television series or cult movie
  • readers of a particular book or series of books
  • users of the same computer or computer software
  • a group of friends
  • practitioners of a particular craft, art, or science

In jokes sometimes appear in film and television. Such jokes may be visual (for example, a movie theatre marquee shown in the background of a scene might display the title of one of the film director's other works), or delivered in dialogue. In-jokes can also take the form of homages to other films or television series.

Examples

Example Usage of In-joke

comedybeard: @krisgreen65 I was agog when I first saw it. Was it an In-joke?
comedybeard: EastEnders: go to 19 mins 31 seconds. A woman with an appalling fake tan walks past the camera. Was this an In-joke? http://bit.ly/2w2off
juniperus: @jen_bsb lol --It's a silly NIN In-joke. Alas, will have to don pants shortly... must leave for work. Good morning!
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