'Hepeating' is the new word you need to know about since you've probably experienced it

Hands up if you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve suggested an idea only for it to be ignored, cue tumbleweed and that awkward pause, until a man steps in to save the day by repeating what you’ve just said.

Yes? Congratulations – you’ve been "hepeated".

We’ve defined mansplaining, identified manspreading and now we can call out the hepeaters thanks to astronomer and professor Nicole Gugliucci and her friends who have coined the term.

Writing on Twitter, Gugliucci explained its definition: “For when a woman suggests an idea and it’s ignored, but then a guy says the same thing and everyone loves it.”

It’s a catchy phrase that can easily be inserted into everyday life as demonstrated by Gugliucci who posted handy usage suggestions such as “Ugh, I got hepeated in that meeting again” or, “he totally hepeated me!”

The phrase may be new but women have been hepeated for decades and this was evident in the many thousands of responses online.

Be it in your meetings at work or in your group chat with mates, women and their ideas are frequently talked over and undermined by the act of hepetition (ahem). The amount of eye-rolling this infuriatingly common act induces is surely enough to have caused a few pulled muscles.

While this is a development in identifying misogynistic behaviour that needs to be tackled, Gugliucci’s contribution to our vocabulary also raises an important issue about racism.

Women aren’t the only ones affected by hepeating; both women and men of colour have experienced this unnecessary, patronising behaviour.

Gugliucci was quick to agree with several people who had commented on her tweet and draw attention to an issue she thinks many are quick to deny: “So much evidence and research shows it happens to women AND black and brown men and women.”

One particular use coined their own phrase to label this type of action: “I’m gonna go ahead and coin ‘rewhite’ then, for every time a person of colour says something and is ignored until a white person says it.”

Now we have a name for it, maybe we can start to confront the hepeaters who are guilty of this casual sexism and racism.