John in Dallas, Texas, wonders about the phrase Hail fellow well met. This expression combines two old phrases. The first is hail, fellow!, once a warm casual greeting. To be hail fellow with someone meant “to be on friendly terms with”...
Big Smoke n. an important person. Editorial Note: This term is sometimes made a play on words by through connotations of trains, Indians (and their smoke signals), and firemen. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)