Meanings
- formalhumorousA question asked to know the reason for being visited by the interlocutor.
1 more example
At that moment the headmaster Mr Grave entered the classroom without knocking, his long coat flapping behind him like a cape. The naughty kids at the back of the class who had been texting throughout the lesson quickly hid their mobile phones under the desk. “Ah, Mr Grave, to what do I owe the pleasure?” said Miss Midge, smiling.
2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], “The Midget”, in Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN, page 109Synonyms: to what do I owe this honour
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseA question asked to know the reason for being visited by the interlocutor.
Translations
Hebrew במה זכיתי לכבוד
- במה זכיתי לכבודto what do I owe the pleasure
Japanese 何に喜びがあるのか。
- 何に喜びがあるのか。 (nani ni yorokobi ga aru noka)to what do I owe the pleasure
Polish czemu zawdzięczam ten zaszczyt
- czemu zawdzięczam ten zaszczytto what do I owe the pleasure
Cite this entry
to what do I owe the pleasure. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20what%20do%20I%20owe%20the%20pleasure
“to what do I owe the pleasure.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20what%20do%20I%20owe%20the%20pleasure. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “to what do I owe the pleasure,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to%20what%20do%20I%20owe%20the%20pleasure.
Source: to what do I owe the pleasure on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.