know someone from Adam

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

know someone from Adam (third-person singular simple present knows someone from Adam, present participle knowing someone from Adam, simple past knew someone from Adam, past participle known someone from Adam)

1. (idiomatic) To know or recognize someone at all.

   Synonyms: know someone from Adam's off ox, know from a bar of soap, know someone from a can of paint, know someone from a hole in the ground, know someone from a hole in the wall, know someone from the man in the moon

   • 1938, Graham Greene, Brighton Rock:

     'Who is she, anyway? Interfering . . . pestering . . . you must know.' 'I don't know her from Adam,' the Boy said.

   • 1963, Audrey Lillian Barker, The joy-ride and after:

     "Well," he said, "do you know me from Adam?"

Usage notes

• Almost always used in the negative.

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: van haar noch pluim kennen
• Finnish: tunnistaa (fi), tuntea (fi) (with lainkaan, ollenkaan, etc.)
• French: ne connaître ni d’Ève ni d’Adam (fr)
• Polish: znać (pl) impf