Hail Fellow Well Met

Hello, you have A Way with Words. Yeah, hi, it’s John calling from Dallas, Texas.

Hi, John. Welcome to the program. Hey, sure appreciate it. You have me on. I’m a huge fan of this every week. And real quick, I want to tell Martha, I heard her mention her grade school one time, and I have two nephews who are proud alumni of Field Elementary, which I believe is where she went.

Oh, is that right? Field Elementary in Kentucky?

In Crescent Hill. That’s right. Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

Yeah, so what I was talking about today, my mom actually was not too far from there. She’s in Louisville still. She was describing to me someone who works at the apartment complex where she lives. And she used this term I’d never heard her use before. She’s 88. And she said, well, I wouldn’t say he’s a hell fellow well met, but boy, well, I can be a good hard worker. And, you know, she went on and I was like, what are you talking about? Hell fellow well met. I’d never heard that term before.

And I kind of, from her context, just from the words, I kind of assumed it meant sort of like, it sounds like somebody like an old-timey term for somebody kind of like super outgoing and kind of walks in and just sort of owns the room kind of thing. Almost picturing like Babe Ruth in a fur coat in the 20s, you know. But, you know, that picture, that famous picture of Babe Ruth, you know.

So anyway, I just thought it was so interesting. It’s such a strange conglomeration of words. It’s almost like they don’t even fit together.

Yet when you hear it, you just kind of it’s one of the things where you just kind of know what it means, but but it doesn’t really make any sense.

So he’s not I wouldn’t describe him as a hail fellow.

Well, that’s what she said.

That’s what she said. Yeah. Yeah.

So more and more. He’s like, you know, he’s a hard worker.

He’s kind of quiet, does his job, comes in and, you know, just is.

but But isn’t isn’t like just sort of this gregarious, super like everybody look at me kind of person, you know.

So I think it’s like it’s not a compliment. It’s not an insult.

It’s just a description of a type of person that we all know.

Yeah, you’ve described it really well.

And the reason that it sounds weird is that it’s made up of two separate elements, one of which is hail fellow, and the other one is well met.

Because hundreds of years ago, hail fellow was a warm, casual greeting.

You know, fellow meaning, you know, somebody on your level, a companion or a buddy.

So like, hi, guy.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, you know, not like good day, sir.

Okay.

Yeah.

Hi there.

Since the late 16th century, Hale Fellow has described people on friendly terms.

So if you’re Hale Fellow with somebody, like I’m Hale Fellow with Grant, it means we’re friendly enough to greet each other casually rather than formally.

And the well-met part in the early 16th century was used as a greeting when you ran into an acquaintance.

If you’re well-met companions, then you’re happy to see each other.

And you see well-met a lot in Shakespeare.

Well-met, sir, well-met.

Or in Romeo and Juliet, one of the characters says happily met.

He greets Juliet with happily met.

And then by the late 16th century, those two agitival phrases, hail fellow and well-met, merged into one emphatic phrase, hail fellow, well-met.

And I’m interested in her sense of the word because quite often Halefellow Well-Met is a little bit, what would you say, Grant, kind of irritating, sort of overly so.

Yeah, it’s about the people who are a little too quick with their business card and their handshake and they’re constantly talking and it seems to be all about them.

Yeah, yeah, you know, back slapping, putting an arm around you when you weren’t ready for that.

That’s exactly what I pictured.

Now, is it in fashion at all anymore?

I have never heard her describe anyone, even her old friends back in college.

She’s 88, so she certainly could have used that term long ago.

But is it in fashion at all anymore or anywhere in the country?

I still hear it from time to time.

But it’s interesting that in contemporary use, it’s acquired more of that negative sense.

You know, somebody who’s just a little too, too.

Okay.

You’ll still hear it.

You’ll probably hear it all over the place now that you’ve noted it.

Well, I might use it when I’m going to go and again when I feel the name.

Not that people understand what I’m saying, but it’s just such an interesting term.

Like I said, what I really found so interesting was just that even hail, fellow, and well-met, just the four words together are almost like four random words, but when they put together, they just sort of come together.

Yeah, because it’s so archaic.

It’s all these archaic constructions smashed together.

You don’t even say hail for hello.

Well, cool.

I appreciate the information.

It’s really, really interesting.

We’re glad you called.

And we were well met, John.

Thanks for being with us.

Take care.

Well, nice to talk to you guys.

Good talking with you.

All right, see ya.

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