In-joke
An in-joke (also known as an in joke or inside joke) is a joke whose humour is clear only to those people who are "inside" a social group, occupation or other community of common understanding; an esoteric joke. It is humorous only to those who know the situation behind it. Inside jokes may exist within a small social clique, such as a group of friends. They also may extend to an entire profession (e.g., inside jokes in the film/professional wrestling industries). Inside jokes can sometimes be called a "rib," as they are known in professional wrestling.
An inside joke works to build community, sometimes (but not always) at the expense of outsiders. Part of the power of an inside joke is that its audience knows that there are those who do not understand the joke.[1] Inside jokes are cryptic allusions to shared common ground that act as triggers. Only those who have shared the common ground provide an appropriate response.[2] An inside joke can be a subtext, where someone will suddenly start laughing at something that is unspoken (often later apologizing for doing so, stating that what they were laughing at was an inside joke).[3]
Types
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Computer industry
In the computer industry some computer programmers hide "in jokes" within the code of software in the form of "Easter eggs", which are hidden content that can be revealed by following a sequence of inputs.
The Jargon File is a dictionary of programmers' slang, many of which are inside jokes or based on inside jokes.
Pop culture
Many TV shows, like Family Guy, insert numerous in-jokes per episode, often referring to other TV shows or movies, even the show itself. For example, the 2009 movie Star Trek was full of references to the 1960s TV series Star Trek, and the references constituted in-jokes for those familiar with the series.
Film Culture
Most noticeable in many animated films is A113, a classroom used by graphic design students at CalArts, whose alumni include John Lasseter and Brad Bird, among others. [4]
See also
References
- ^ Paul Brooks Duff (2001). Who Rides the Beast?: Prophetic Rivalry and the Rhetoric of Crisis in the Churches of the Apocalypse. Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 019513835X.
- ^ Randy Y. Hirokawa and Marshall Scott Poole (1996). Communication and Group Decision Making. Sage Publications Inc. p. 96. ISBN 076190462X.
- ^ Ben Tousey (2003). Acting Your Dreams: Use Acting Techniques to Interpret Your Dreams. Ben Tousey. pp. 118–119. ISBN 1414005423.
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A113