# How do you respond to "What's up?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 22, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788 "2005-03-22T22:44:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/21 "2005-03-23T02:28:22Z")
Another for not much. It’s become a reflex. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/22 "2005-03-23T03:09:51Z")
Lately, I’ve been saying, “gas prices, again” (sigh). Most of the time I’ll say “the ceiling, last I checked” (or sky if we’re outside). If I’m in a rotten mood I’ll say “my blood pressure, don’t you make it any worse.” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/23 "2005-03-23T03:31:26Z")
I’m another “not much”-er, in the same way that I tell people I’m fine. The EMTs could come to scrape me off the sidewalk after I jump off a building, and they’d be like “How are you feeling?” and I’d be “Fine, thanks, how about yourself?” ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/24 "2005-03-23T03:47:24Z")
I opt for the rhyming “Not a lot!” Seems to get me by most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/25 "2005-03-23T04:24:58Z")
“Not too much. Why?” or “I’m sorry. What?” depending on how attentive I’m being at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/26 "2005-03-23T05:03:17Z")
As I hate stilted, clichéd conversations, so if someone asks me “What’s up?” I pause a moment and think, and then tell the person about something new that’s happening in my life. Sure is more interesting than “Not much.” ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/27 "2005-03-23T05:14:37Z")
“Eh, a little of this and a little of that\*” is my stock response for either “What’s up?” “How’s it going?” or “What-cha up to?” Doesn’t really make sense all the time, but it works. \*Actually sounds more like, “Eh, littleathis, littleathat.” ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/28 "2005-03-23T05:16:09Z")
Am I the only one who thinks the proper response to “What’s up” is “What’s up”? No it doesn’t make sense logically. Lets just say that nobody’s ever looked at me funny for answering the greeting this way, which is more than I can say for “not much” or "nuthin’ ". I do the same for “how you doin’?” or “howareya?”. They’re questions everyone asks, but nobody wants to know the answer to… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/29 "2005-03-23T05:22:56Z")
I respond by glowering and muttering under my breath, then turning away and forevermore pretending the person doesn’t exist. But that’s pretty much my standard response to any greeting. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/30 "2005-03-23T05:51:03Z")
“Hey, dude!” ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/31 "2005-03-23T05:51:09Z")
I say “Howzzit!” and blow on past them with a spring in my step. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/32 "2005-03-23T10:23:34Z")
> [@Strinka](#): > > I never know how to respond properly to the question “What’s up?”. > I seems wrong to answer with what I am doing or how I am. > > So how do you answer? I-i-i-i-i-i’m hunting a wabbit. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/33 "2005-03-23T10:48:14Z")
What’s up? It’s a preposition. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/34 "2005-03-23T11:57:08Z")
“The sky, but it’s falling.” ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/35 "2005-03-23T12:00:00Z")
“The usual”, or “same old” ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/36 "2005-03-23T12:47:32Z")
“A type of quark with a positive charge of plus two-thirds and marginally less than one-third the mass of a proton.” ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/37 "2005-03-23T12:55:39Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > What’s up? > > It’s a preposition. You stole mine. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/38 "2005-03-23T12:59:17Z")
“whattupwichu?” ---
**Author:** ![Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fromage_A_Trois)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/39 "2005-03-23T13:05:34Z")
“nothin’” Still, I have a slightly more interesting response to “How’s it hanging?” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788/40 "2005-03-23T13:56:20Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Sky. Ceiling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-respond-to-whats-up/295788.md?page=3)