In the Longman Dictionary of Common Errors you read "When you ask for or give a discription of someone or something, use what … like (NOT how): 'What's your new teacher like?' "
But I sometimes hear people say things like "How is your new teacher?" as a way of asking someone to describe someone or something.
To me, the response to that question could be "She's fine", not a description of the teacher's appearance or behavior, since I think of it as a question about someone's health or life condition, i.e. if they are well, happy, etc.
What about "How's the weather?" and "What's the weather like?" ? Do you see any difference?
Is it that the former is used to ask a question about if the whether is good or bad in a specific situation, and the latter to ask about the general weather conditions in a place? So one can say "What's the weather usually like in Torronto?" and the answer would be "Dry and cold." (I'm not really sure about the weather conditions there, though!), and "How's the weather today?" followed by the response "It's sunny today"
Or do they have the same meaning?
Learn English – “How …?” vs. “What … like?”
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Best Answer
I think you understand things correctly.
How is used to ask about the quality/degree of something, or the manner in which something was done. When you ask someone how is X, they may respond with a details in a similar manner as what, but the reason is to communicate a quality/degree - typically "good" or "bad."
So...
The implication here is that she considers the teacher a bit intimidating, so somewhat "bad." And that's what the person asking how really wanted to know.
What's X like to me, implies that you are less interested in the person's personal feelings - rather, you want to know how X compares to other X's - than how's does. But this can be influenced either way greatly by context.