Hail fellow well met
Encyclopedia
"Hail fellow well met" is a somewhat archaic English
idiom
used either as an exaggerated greeting or referring to a person who is sociable and constantly making an effort to win 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 16th century 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. The twentieth-century English novelist W. Somerset Maugham
frequently used the term in his novels and short stories to describe male characters of a genial, sociable, and hard-drinking temperament. 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 to describe a person (again, usually male) who is skilled at making superficial friendships or can ingratiate themselves quickly with any company at hand. The OED gives an example from the 17th century 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'."
James Joyce
used the phrase "Hail fellow well met the next moment" in Ulysses
to describe newspaper men.
The explanation I have from an old English girlfriend for "well met" is that it is a term of congratulation. It originally comes from the game of cricket when the batter gets a good hit on the ball. The bat "meets" the ball. "Well met" means "good hit". Current usage would be the same as "good job" or any other phrase of congratulation for anything, not just sports.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
used either as an exaggerated greeting or referring to a person who is sociable and constantly making an effort to win friends. The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
(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 16th century 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
Personality psychology
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. Its areas of focus include:* Constructing a coherent picture of the individual and his or her major psychological processes...
type. The twentieth-century English novelist W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
frequently used the term in his novels and short stories to describe male characters of a genial, sociable, and hard-drinking temperament. 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 to describe a person (again, usually male) who is skilled at making superficial friendships or can ingratiate themselves quickly with any company at hand. The OED gives an example from the 17th century 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'."
James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
used the phrase "Hail fellow well met the next moment" in Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
to describe newspaper men.
The explanation I have from an old English girlfriend for "well met" is that it is a term of congratulation. It originally comes from the game of cricket when the batter gets a good hit on the ball. The bat "meets" the ball. "Well met" means "good hit". Current usage would be the same as "good job" or any other phrase of congratulation for anything, not just sports.
External links
- Entry for "Hail fellow well met" at TheFreeDictionary.comTheFreeDictionary.comTheFreeDictionary.com is an online dictionary and encyclopedia that gathers information from a variety of sources. This site cross references the contents of Wikipedia, Columbia Encyclopedia, Hutchinson Encyclopedia , The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Computer Desktop...
- Meaning of "Hail fellow well met" at phrases.org.uk