treat with the utmost hospitality; give a royal welcome
Idiomatic expression meaning to treat someone with extreme care and respect, as if they were too precious to be placed even on the floor. Often used in the form 下にも置かないもてなし or 下にも置かない扱い.
He welcomed the guest with the utmost hospitality.
The grandmother dotes on her grandchild as if they were the most precious thing in the world.
Kana spelling of the verb part; the whole expression is sometimes written with mixed kanji and kana.
Literally 'not even placed on the floor', suggesting that the person is treated so preciously that they are not set down on the ground. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a fixed idiomatic expression.