in-joke

(ĭn′jōk′)

n. Informal

A joke originated or appreciated by the members of a particular group.

in′-jok′ey adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

in-joke

a joke which is understood only by a particular group of people

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in′-joke`

a joke that can be understood or appreciated only by a limited group of people.

[1960–65]

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Noun

in-joke - a joke that is appreciated only by members of some particular group of people

gag, jape, jest, joke, laugh - a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at his own jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point"

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References in periodicals archive ?

But even if you don't know the specific documentary, or pick up on every in-joke, there's much silliness and cleverness to appreciate.

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Last time we were treated to multiple timelines and jaw-dropping revelations, and viewers had theories coming out of their ears, noses and the tops of their heads (little host in-joke for you there).

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Peacock's small world feels lived in, and there's a clever in-joke in the way other characters react to his exploits in the Rankin novel, which he insists weren't real.

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"It isn't a demolition job on anybody or anything, and it isn't one giant in-joke, and this isn't a game of guessing who is supposed to be who," he says.

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Barely a moment goes by in this Belgian slasher without yet another in-joke referencing the work of horror icons, from Stephen King to Dario Argento to John Carpenter.

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Directing Mark Fortin and Josh Miller's clever screenplay, Todd Strauss-Schulson ("A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas") delivers an accessible in-joke that should sell nicely to various territories in all formats.