running joke

American  

noun

1. a joke or humorous allusion used recurrently in a play, film, television skit, etc., for a cumulative comic effect.

2. a subject, reference, remark, etc., that is a continual source of humor.

---

Example Sentences

"Who isn't in Australia?" has become a running joke in my hometown as more and more young people decide to brave the move, seeking a "better" life.

From BBC

"It actually became a kind of running joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation."

From BBC

Dude, it became a running joke on the set how loose my pants were.

From The Wall Street Journal

And in the U.K., it is a running joke that the country is unlikely to ever win the contest again after Brexit.

From The Wall Street Journal

His Saints team-mate Fin Smith revealed on Wednesday that Pollock had sent Lions assistant coach Johnny Sexton pictures of Sexton crying after Ireland were knocked out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup as part of a running joke between the two during this summer's tour of Australia.

From BBC