in-jokey

English

Alternative forms

• in-joky (rare)

Adjective

in-jokey (comparative more in-jokey, superlative most in-jokey)

1. Characteristic of an in-joke.
   • 1967, The New York Times Book Review, page 36:

     No amount of sartorial or physical detail, no amount of scattergun introspection, can create character (God knows how that miracle is ever accomplished) any more than the frequent, sometimes in-jokey name-dropping—Goldwater.

   • 1972, Australian Book Review, page 254:

     There are various in-jokey things about it, the main one being the photographs heading each chapter.

   • 1972 March 26, Giles M. Fowler, “‘Doc’ … In Zany Tribute To Screwball Comedy”, in The Kansas City Star, volume 92, number 191, Kansas City, Mo., page 1 G:

     Echoes of familiar films keep popping up everywhere. So in one way (I started to say “at one level,” but pictures like this don’t have levels), “What’s Up, Doc?” is a sort of spot-the-reference game for movie buffs. This kind of thing could seem awfully arch and in-jokey if it weren’t done with such fun-sharing affection.

   • 1973, John Brooks, The Expert, Tom Stacey Ltd, →ISBN, page 120:

     ‘[…] I weep or I laugh when I am writing.’ ‘Which do the reviewers do?’ ‘Fatuous last words.’ ‘That's rather in-jokey.’