howdy

[sameen]

What does "Howdy" mean, exactly?

What is the reply for how do you do?

[Rover_KE]

'Howdy' is an informal greeting - like 'Hi'.

'How do you do' is a formal greeting. You can say the same thing in reply or something like 'Pleased to meet you'.

Rover

[birdeen's call]

sheldons mother - YouTube

"Howdy, ma'am."
"Howdy to you too."

[Ouisch]

In that Sheldon clip the guy in the cowboy hat was poking fun at the "cowboy" attitude, way of speech, etc. The woman he addressed is not from the South, which is why she humorously responded "howdy to you, too!" In the American South, "howdy" is still a very common greeting. It was originally an abbreviation of "how do you do" but now it's just a greeting that means "hi, how are you?". It's very informal and wouldn't be used, say, at a funeral.

[birdeen's call]

In that Sheldon clip the guy in the cowboy hat was poking fun at the "cowboy" attitude, way of speech, etc. The woman he addressed is not from the South, which is why she humorously responded "howdy to you, too!"

She's not? I'm watching this show religiously and I'm quite sure she's a Texan!

I agree that "howdy to you too" is (can be?) humorous, but I did a quick Google search before posting and it seems a possibility.

[SoothingDave]

Yes, Sheldon's mom is a Texan.