standing joke

1. Something that is always funny even though it is often repeated. For example, Mary's “Dennis who?” when her husband is mentioned is a standing joke around here. This idiom employs standing in the sense of “established” or “regular,” a usage dating from the mid-1500s.

Example Sentences

A standing joke between us is Gail saying, “And there’s another problem.”

From Los Angeles Times

That deal brought to the C-suite the acquired company’s top management and its cost-cutting culture; in the Boeing corridors, the standing joke was that “McDonnell Douglas bought Boeing with Boeing’s money.”

From Los Angeles Times

In the Boeing corridors, the standing joke was that “McDonnell Douglas bought Boeing with Boeing’s money.”

From Los Angeles Times

"It is a sort of standing joke with Leeds fans that we always get two cup ties a season - one in the League Cup, and one in the FA Cup - before we get knocked out," Rix explained.

From BBC

“Comstockery is the world’s standing joke at the expense of the United States,” Shaw commented.

From Los Angeles Times