Mansplain

Mansplain (verb / modern slang)

(Also heard as: Mansplaining, Mansplained, Mansplainer)

Definition: When a bloke talks down to a woman and explains the bleeding obvious like she’s five years old, usually assuming he knows better even when she knows ten times more about it than he does.

Where It Comes From: Started after a writer went to a party and had a bloke spend twenty minutes lecturing her about an important new book, completely missing the fact that she was the one who wrote it. People mashed “man” and “explain” together online, and it quickly became the go-to word for dealing with patronising know-it-alls.

How People Actually Use It: Heard the second a bloke butts in to explain simple stuff nobody asked for. Like telling a female mechanic how to check her tyre pressure, showing a senior coder where the save button is, or chiming in at the gym to lecture a woman on her lifting form when she’s lifting double his weight.

Examples in the Wild:

• “Had some bloke try to mansplain how a clutch works while I was literally fixing his car.”

  Translation: He gave me a patronising lecture about cars even though I’m a mechanic.

• “Don’t start mansplaining the budget to Sarah, she’s the one who runs the accounts.”

  Translation: Stop talking down to her about things she handles every day.

• “He tried to explain the offside rule to me at the pub like I’ve never watched a match in my life.”

  Translation: He smugly assumed I didn’t know basic football rules.

Similar Slang: Talking down to, Patronising, Being smug, Teaching your gran to suck eggs, Lecturing