to ask if anyone EVER says 'How do you do?' in this day and age?

[FestiveFruitloop]

Just curious as I've spotted a few people elsewhere on the web recently - all from outside the UK as far as I can tell - confidently asserting that in Britain we say 'How do you do?' when we meet a new person and that the correct response is to parrot 'How do you do?' back at them.

I'm in my mid-fifties and the words 'How do you do?' have never once crossed my lips (unless followed by something like 'long division' or 'without chocolate', that is.) I find it bemusing that people still think this is a British 'thing', but am I missing something (perhaps due to my class background)? Do people actually still say 'How do you do?' in some circles?

YABU = I've said it
YANBU = I've never said it

My mum says it

I'm too common for that lark. I say 'alright? Lovely to meet you.'

YANBU

My mum does

I actually think I do, although more “how’d ya do?” Rather than “how do you do?”.

My three year old does 😂🤪

Only posh pensioners at church in my experience

With some ex UK clients I do, they find it delightful - but normally initiated by them

I do, if I’m meeting someone posh!

Yes in formal company

I do it when I meet American colleagues just because it amuses me

It's always just been a posh thing so said by a minority. No idea if they still do.

I do, and I’m 33. It’s just polite

I’m 60. Never said it. Mainly say ‘alright?’

Ive read this totally confuses foreign visitors who expect us to say ‘hello’ or ‘how do you do?’

In fact I’ve never heard anyone say it

I do. 40 and working class, I do have very nice manners.

I say this all the time. Every time I am introduced to someone. ‘Hello, how do you do’ [no question mark]

it’s just easy filler.

Interesting that the voting's coming out at 50/50 so far!

I usually say 'Nice to meet you,' 'Pleased to meet you' or something like that.

Why would there be no question mark though, when 'how' is an interrogative? I always wonder that when I see it written without. #puzzled

We definitely had to say it as children in the 80s but we did get dragged to lots of formal occasions and at more than one event I had to curtsy.

No, I’ve never said this - and I think I’m polite! While there may be people who use it, it isn’t common so it would be incorrect to insist it’s the standard greeting for the British population overall (if that is what people are saying). I have taught English abroad, and have pointed out that it is very formal register to students. It’s important to them that their language is colloquial as well as intelligible.

I was charmed to be greeted with ‘how ya goin’?’ by an Australian lawyer I was working with on something very serious recently. I don’t know many Aussies, so I’m not used to pondering how I’m going and definitely wasn’t expecting it on a super-formal call 🙂

My grandad says it but then he is 90. He also kisses the hands of women when he greet them

For me it is always "How lovely to see you"... unless I'm at work in retail pharmacy when I greet people with "Good morning".

Not often but if I am meeting a certain sort of poshish person in a formal setting I would. You only use it the first time you meet someone. I guess it doesn’t really have a question mark because it’s not really a question, it means ‘it’s nice to meet you’ rather than ‘tell me how you’re feeling’ - hence the person just responds with ‘how do you do’

I am reading this one the way from an evening event hosted by a business. I used to"How do you do?" To each new person I met - I learned to do this by listening and watching senior colleagues when I was first working as a young professional in the late '80s. It is still used. The event I was at was full of business leaders and a few politicians. Others said it too.

I used it last week when I met senior partner at our creative agency's Xmas drinks. It would spend on context but I use it when I meet most (not all) new people