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Stevenukd Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

HOWDY = HI ?

Dear Teachers,

1. "Howdy" means "Hello" or "Hi", right? Is it still common in America and England?

2. I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.

- What does "you can get by on charm" mean here?

Thanks a lot to Teachers,

Stevenukd.
  

Top answer

It's not used in England (unless in a jokey sense).

— Nona the brit

  • It's not used in England (unless in a jokey sense).
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4 Answers
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It's not used in England (unless in a jokey sense).
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I use "howdy," but only very informally. I would not walk into a meeting with senior management and say "Howdy!" (I use it quite often when I enter a chat room.)

The second question means the people you are talking to will accept you for about 15 minutes if you can be "charming" - talk well, compliment others, be witty, etc. But you have to be able to move beyond having a nice way of spe
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>"you can get by on charm"

manage to enjoy/have some degree of success just by the force of your charm
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Howdy sounds like cowboy talk to me. It sounds very "Country and Western". In old cowboy movies, also, Howdy, pardner! (Hello, partner.)
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Compare: Susan can get by on $100 a week. Liz gets by on her good looks.

get by: survive or succeed at a minimal level. The on phrase tells how.

CJ
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