The portmanteau of ‘he’ and ‘repeating’ appears to have been invented in 2017 by friends of American physics professor Nicole Gugliucci, whose tweet defining the term went viral.
Although the word has yet to make it into the Oxford English Dictionary, staff working for exam regulator Ofqual have introduced it in an internal handbook.
The 28-page book, obtained by The Mail on Sunday under Freedom of Information legislation, describes ‘hepeating’ as ‘a situation where a man repeats a woman’s comments or ideas and then is praised for them as if they were his own’.
But not everyone is impressed by the term.
Jeremy Black, emeritus professor of history at the University of Exeter, called it an ‘ugly new made-up word that’s foolish and devoid of meaning,’ and added: ‘It should play no role in educational advice.’
Broadcaster Dame Joan Bakewell said: ‘I am rapidly losing touch. Soon I won’t be able to function as a journalist in anything but The Oldie and school reunion magazines.’
And award-winning author Dame Margaret Drabble added: ‘I’d never heard of this word. It hasn’t really caught on probably because it’s such an ugly word and not a very useful concept.’
The new word joins a growing feminist glossary for male misbehaviour alongside ‘mansplaining’: the patronising way a man will explain something to a woman, assuming she is ignorant.
Other terms include ‘manologue’ (a man speaking at great length while women are waiting to contribute); ‘bropropriating’ (a slight variation on ‘hepeating’, where a man deliberately steals a woman’s idea); and ‘manterrupting’ (the unnecessary interruption of a woman).
Last night, an Ofqual spokesman said the glossary was a ‘resource and guide for staff’ rather than a ‘prescriptive document’, adding: ‘This glossary is drawn from civil service guidance and other public and private sector sources.’
Is it time to take the ‘men’ out of Mensa? What with mansplaining, manspreading and now hepeating, fellas are definitely looking like the inferior sex right now.
‘Hepeating’ is where a man repeats a woman’s comments, jokes or ideas and is then praised for them as if they were his own.
Well, you can’t have all work and no plagiarism, right?
Sorry, did you hear what I just said? Wait. Imagine it’s being said again but in a booming male baritone. Now I’ve got your attention, haven’t I?
Every woman I know has experienced this infuriating phenomenon, especially in the office.
A woman will say something creative and clever in a meeting and the boss won’t react.
A split second later a male colleague will utter the exact same sentiment and be wildly applauded for his originality and brilliance. Maybe even promoted.
And not just in the boardroom. It happens at dinner parties, constantly.
I was breaking bread with some North London pals when the hostess, a woman with a Dorothy Parker-esque penchant for tripling an entendre, made an excellent jest at her end of the table. But I was the only guest who laughed.
A minute later her husband bellowed out the same one liner from the other end of the table, and the male diners erupted into guffaws.
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