how do you do
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- how-do-you-do, how-d'ye-do (noun)
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Phrase edit
- (formal) A greeting used upon being introduced to someone. Alternatives are how are you, pleased to meet you, and nice to meet you. (Sometimes used as a rhetorical question among familiar parties, depending on the region).
- 1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna[1], L.C. Page, →OCLC:
- "How do you do?" began Pollyanna politely. "I'm from Miss Polly Harrington, and I'd like to see Mrs. Snow, please."
Usage notes edit
In obsolete usage, this phrase could be inflected: I asked him how he did.
Related terms edit
- how are you doing (less formal)
- howdy (informal)
Translations edit
Phrase: how do you do
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Noun edit
how do you do (plural how do you dos)
- (UK, euphemistic) A difficult situation
- 1993, Nick Park, Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers:
- Well, this is a fine how do you do isn't it, Gromit?
- 2010, Michael Sledge, The More I Owe You: A Novel, Counterpoint Press, →ISBN, page 78:
- On the winding road to Petropolis, they did not speak, not about modernism or the construction of houses or antique bird jails or fine how-do-you-dos.
- 2013, Chris Raschka, Seriously, Norman!, Scholastic Inc., →ISBN, page 115:
- "Vienna!" Mr. B. went on. "This is a bit of a how-do-you-do, is it not?"