How's it going

Posted by ESC on June 27, 2005

In Reply to: How's it going posted by Ceci on June 27, 2005

: Me (non-native user of English) and some of my friends (both native and non-native users) are wondering about the history of the expression "how's it going?" Any help would be appreciated.

First a little background information:

HELLO, HOWDY, HI - ".or words to that effect, are used by most of us several times a day. 'How do you do?' (literally 'how is your health?'), 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' and 'good evening' have been English greetings since the mid 15th century.Surprisingly enough, 'hello' didn't become a truly common greeting until the mid 1860s. It comes from 'holla!', stop! (French ho! + la, there); it had been used as a shout to attract attention, hail a coach, ferry, etc." Page 184. From I Hear America Talking: An Illustrated History of American Words and Phrases, by Stuart Berg Flexner, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1976.