inside joke
A joke that is understood or meant to be understood only by certain people who are aware of the details (an ingroup).
After the incident with the potato peeler, references to potatoes became an inside joke among the witnesses.
inside
/ˈɪnsaɪd/
noun 5adj 5adv 4prep 2
Collocations
4ADJ.
cold, growing, locked, loose, orange, rotten, sunny
The rotten inside of the apple made it impossible to eat.
VERB + INSIDE
appears, bars, blown, building, come, ends, placed, putting
The bomb was blown inside the building during the night shift.
INSIDE + NOUN
envelope, it's, lane, paper, tent
She found the letter inside the envelope and opened it carefully.
PREP.
from, in, on, out, up
She pulled the letter out from inside the envelope carefully.
Definitions
noun
1
The interior or inner part.
The inside of the building has been extensively restored.
Looked he o' the inside of the paper?
2
The left-hand side of a road if one drives on the left, or right-hand side if one drives on the right.
On a motorway, you should never pass another vehicle on the inside.
3
The side of a curved road, racetrack etc. that has the shorter arc length; the side of a racetrack nearer the interior of the course or some other point of reference.
The car in front drifted wide on the bend, so I darted up the inside to take the lead.
4
The interior organs of the body, especially the guts.
Eating that stuff will damage your insides.
5
A passenger within a coach or carriage, as distinguished from one upon the outside.
So down thy hill, romantic Ashbourne, glides / The Derby dilly, carrying three insides.
So, what between Mr. Dowler's stories, and Mrs. Dowler's charms, and Mr. Pickwick's good humour, and Mr. Winkle's good listening, the insides contrived to be very companionable all the way.
adj
1
Of or pertaining to the inner surface, limit or boundary.
The inside surface of the cup is unpainted.
2
Nearer to the interior or centre of something.
Because of the tighter bend, it's harder to run in an inside lane.
All the window seats were occupied, so she took an inside seat.
3
Originating from, arranged by, or being someone inside an organisation.
The reporter had received inside information about the forthcoming takeover.
The robbery was planned by the security guard: it was an inside job.
4
Legally married to or related to (e.g. born in wedlock to), and/or residing with, a specified other person (parent, child, or partner); (of a marriage, relationship, etc) existing between two such people.
But the terms normally used to distinguish a man's resident and absent children are "inside" and "outside," the reference being to the home where the common father dwells. Only rarely will a man describe his "inside" children born out of out of wedlock as "lawful," [...]
An 'outside wife' has limited social recognition and status because her husband typically refuses to declare her publicly as his wife. She also has much less social and politico-jural recognition than an 'inside wife' [...]
5
Toward the batter as it crosses home plate.
The first pitch is ... just a bit inside.
adv
1
Within or towards the interior of something; within the scope or limits of something (a place), especially a building.
It started raining, so I went inside.
The secretive residents of the massive city-ship tended to stay inside.
2
Within or towards the interior of something; within the scope or limits of something (a place), especially a building.
He spent ten years inside, doing a stretch for burglary.
3
Indoors.
It was snowing, so the children stayed inside.
4
Intimately, secretly; without expressing what one is feeling or thinking.
Are you laughing at us inside?
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — the inner or enclosed surface of something
noun — the region that is inside of something
adjective — confined to an exclusive group
- inner
- privileged
adverb — within a building
adverb — on the inside
adverb — with respect to private feelings
Idioms & Phrases
know inside and out
To know (something or someone) very thoroughly.
He's still new to their system, but he knows databases inside and out and will understand the rest soon.
inside baseball
Technical matters concerning baseball generally not apparent or of interest to spectators.
There always has been a tendency to overlook the catcher, possibly because so much of him is covered up during the game, but more because the greatest part of his work is inside ba
inside job
A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.
... while the police are calling it an inside job just because the old lady's nephew teaches a Bible class.
inside the box
Restricted by convention.
"To the extent the box keeps the outside world away — then, yes, it is better to think inside the box."
Example Bank
601
The inside of the building has been extensively restored.
Wiktionary02
Looked he o' the inside of the paper?
Wiktionary03
On a motorway, you should never pass another vehicle on the inside.
Wiktionary04
The inside surface of the cup is unpainted.
Wiktionary05
Because of the tighter bend, it's harder to run in an inside lane.
Wiktionary06
All the window seats were occupied, so she took an inside seat.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, inside is marked as dated, colloquial, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.
Your note
not saved0 chars