A new word for an old phenomenon: prepeat — to say an exact "copy" of something before another person has said it.

Prepetition is thus a time-reversal of the usual "repetition". It's particularly common in a long-term relationship with a partner who knows in advance what you're going to say, and vice versa. You begin to state a thought and pause to grope for the right word; your comrade interjects it; you say it, then continue. You didn't consciously repeat; more precisely, the other person prepeated you.

Sometimes, in fact, a conversation can occur in backwards order between close acquaintances. It's extraordinarily confusing to an outside observer, but entirely comprehensible to those involved ...

TopicLanguage - TopicHumor - 2003-03-14

(correlates: ExcrementalTypo, Refuse to Be Terrorized, EugeneHo, ...)