Hail, fellow, well met

Posted by R. Berg on January 27, 2002

In Reply to: Wanna know origins of... posted by Billoud Nicolas on January 27, 2002

: Can I trouble you to give me the origins of the following expressions: "to be caught red-handed"
: "shaggy-dog story"
: "to cudgel one's brains"
: "to have a whale of a time"
: "as dull as a ditch-water"
: "as red as a turkey-cock"
: "to knock someone sideways"
: "topsy-turvy"
: "mealy-mouthed"
: "the rag-tag and bobtail(of sth)"
: "the down-and-outs"
: "a smash-and-grab"
: "clap-trap"
: "a chicken-and-egg situation"
: "a moth-eaten idea"
: "to be all keyed up"
: "a rag-and-bone man"
: "a holier-than-though attitude"
: "to be nail-fellow-well-met"
: "a devil-may-care manner"
: "a hole-in-the-corner affair"
: "a cock-and-bull story"
: "to get down to the nitty-gritty"
: "to give someone the heebie-jeebies"
: "to upset someone's apple-cart"
: "to be someone's blue-eyed boy"
: "to be bone-headed from the neck up"
: "a Jekyll-and-Hyde team"
: "a Johnny-come-lately convent"
: "to grin and bear it"
: "that's torn it"
: "to have it both ways"

"Hail, fellow, well met" was dealt with last year, and the answer is in the archives. Use link below or
www.phrases.org.uk bulletin_board 8 messages 1430.html
The archives might have explanations for some of your other phrases, too.

• Hail, fellow