Hail fellow well met

Hail fellow well met

"Hail fellow well met" is a somewhat archaic English idiom used either as an exagerrated greeting or referring to a person who is sociable and constantly making an effort at winning friends. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) gives a 1589 quotation for this phrase as a friendly greeting. The OED also gives quotations for the related phrase "hail fellow", a greeting that apparently dates to medieval times. "Well met" appears to have been added to the phrase in the 1500s to intensify its friendliness. This additional term seems to derive from the concept of "good to meet you", and also from the meaning of "meet" as something literally the right size for a given situation.

In modern English, the idiom is used as an exaggerated greeting or as a description of a personality type. Modern use of the term tends to be deliberately archaic, with overtones of over-familiarity in the person (almost always male) so described, or as a deliberate, tongue in cheek term of endearment, heightening the effect of the greeting of an unexpected friend when as in "the only friendly person here" or to remark that there is a friend in an unfriendly atmosphere. It can also be used as a pejorative as a description of a person rather than a greeting . The OED gives an example from the 1600s of the use of "hail fellow" as a description in a similarly pejorative manner.

It is also cited as "heartily friendly and congenial, comradely, hail-fellow - characteristic of or befitting a friend; 'friendly advice'; 'a friendly neighborhood'; 'the only friendly person here'; 'a friendly host and hostess'." (See FreeDictionary.com listing below.)

External links

* [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hail-fellow-well-met Entry for "Hail fellow well met"] at TheFreeDictionary.com
* [http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/8/messages/1430.html Meaning of "Hail fellow well met" at phrases.org.uk]
* [http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq71904.html Origin of "Hail fellow well met" at stupidquestion.net]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • hail-fellow(-well-met) — hailˈ fellow( well metˈ) adjective Readily or excessively friendly and familiar (also noun and adverb) ● hail …   Useful english dictionary

  • hail-fellow-well-met — adjective OLD FASHIONED behaving in a very friendly way that is annoying or does not seem sincere …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • hail-fellow-well-met — Someone whose behavior is hearty, friendly and congenial …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • hail-fellow-well-met — adjective Etymology: from the archaic salutation “Hail, fellow! Well met!” Date: 1581 heartily friendly and informal ; comradely • hail fellow well met noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • hail-fellow-well-met — 1. adjective Sociable, friendly. And at first he sings small, and is hail fellow well met with Sheamus thats James of the Glens, my chieftains agent. 2. noun a sociable, friendly person. My father was reserved an …   Wiktionary

  • hail-fellow-well-met — old fashioned a man who is hail fellow well met is very friendly and pleasant, often in a way that you do not trust. He was a hail fellow well met sort of a man who d greet you with a big slap on the back …   New idioms dictionary

  • hail-fellow-well-met — I. adj. phr. talking easily and in a friendly way to everyone you meet. John won the election as class president because he was hail fellow well met. II. n. phr. A good friend and companion; buddy; pal. John just moved to town but he and the boys …   Словарь американских идиом

  • hail-fellow-well-met — friendly man, a good head, jolly good fellow    Bert is a social person. Yes, he s hail fellow well met, I say …   English idioms

  • hail-fellow-well-met(1) — {adj. phr.} Talking easily and in a friendly way to everyone you meet. * /John won the election as class president because he was hail fellow well met./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • hail-fellow-well-met(1) — {adj. phr.} Talking easily and in a friendly way to everyone you meet. * /John won the election as class president because he was hail fellow well met./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”