Autismspektrum och ärlighet - Varför är det så?

What's the meaning of the phrase 'How do you do'?

A greeting.
What's the origin of the phrase 'How do you do'?

This greeting was once commonplace, especially amongst the English upper classes, but is now heard less often and is largely restricted to quite formal occasions. The phrase became one of the touchstones in the separation of the U from the non-U, that is, the separation of the upper classes from the rest. The U contingent had napkins, lavatories and greeted people with 'how do you do'; the non-U had serviettes, toilets and greeted with 'hello'. The proper response to 'How do you do?' was a reciprocal 'How do you do?', as in this exchange from Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892:

Lord Darlington: How do you do, Lady Windermere?
Lady Windermere: How do you do, Lord Darlington?