Englishnot know someone from Adam
Meaning: To be unable to recognize someone because the person is a stranger.
Example: “She waved at me warmly, but I didn't know her from Adam.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Ne connaître ni d'Ève ni d'Adam Literally: To know neither from Eve nor from Adam
Origin: Adam, the first human being in the Book of Genesis, works here purely as an image of total unfamiliarity — since no one alive has ever actually met him, being unable to distinguish a stranger from Adam is the most absolute form of not knowing someone at all. The earliest documented use predates the phrase's obvious biblical framing by decades: London court records from 1784 already have a witness testifying, "some man stopped me, I do not know him from Adam." A now largely forgotten variant, "not know one from Adam's off ox" — the ox positioned on the right in a working yoke of two — pushed the same idea of total unfamiliarity even further. French has an almost identical construction, "je ne connais ni d'Eve ni d'Adam," naming both biblical figures rather than just the one.
More English idioms
- last but not least The final item on a list, but not the least important.
- last-ditch effort A very strenuous final attempt.
- lay down the law To set rules and regulations.
- lay one's cards on the table To be open and honest; to reveal everything.
- learn the ropes To become familiar with a task or situation.
- leave someone in the lurch To abandon someone to a difficult situation, forcing him or her to take all the responsib…
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