how do you do: Meaning and Definition of

how' do you do'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. (used as a conventional greeting).

how-do-you-do

Pronunciation: (hou'du-yu-d'), [key]
— pl. -dos.
  1. a greeting; salutation: She smiled and gave him a how-do-you-do fit for a king.
  2. an awkward or unpleasant event or situation: It's a fine how-do-you-do that they've refused to help us out.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.