howdy-do

A form of how-d'ye-do — A troublesome state of affairs.

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Meanings

nounhowdy-do (plural howdy-dos)

plural howdy-dos

  1. alternativeAlternative form of how-d'ye-do.

    The men in that far country were liars, every one. Their mere howdy-do was a lie, because they didn't care how you did, except they were undertakers.

    1882, Mark Twain, “On the Decay of the Art of Lying”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)
phrasehowdy-do?
  1. USpronunciation spellingPronunciation spelling of how do you do.
Cite this entry
APA

howdy-do. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/howdy-do

MLA

“howdy-do.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/howdy-do. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “howdy-do,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/howdy-do.

Source: howdy-do on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.