Hail, fellow, well met

Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was hale fellow, meaning healthy, vigorous, robust. It's an odd saying though, isn't it?

It seems odd because we no longer say "Hail" for "Hello" or "fellow" for "dude."

There are millions, nay, tens of millions of us who never say 'dude'- we say 'friend' or 'my dear chap' or most likely 'mate'. 'Dude'is for dopes.