not know (one) from Adam
(redirected from didn't know you from Adam)not know (one) from Adam
To not know who one is just by looking at them; to have never met one before. Even though Jake had worked at the company for nearly 10 years, the boss still didn't know him from Adam. I don't blame them for not giving me permission right away. They don't know me from Adam.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
not know someone from Adam
Fig. not to know someone by sight at all. I wouldn't recognize John if I saw him up close. I don't know him from Adam. What does she look like? I don't know her from Adam.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
not know someone from Adam
Be unable to recognize someone, as in Although I have worked here for two months, I've never seen the department head; I wouldn't know her from Adam . This term refers to the biblical story about the world's first human being. As at least one writer has pointed out, differentiating someone from Adam makes little sense since he had no name and wore only a fig leaf. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
not know someone from Adam
If you don't know someone from Adam, you do not know them at all. We have one contact, who is simply a voice on the phone to us. I don't know him from Adam. These people were friends of a friend, who didn't know me from Adam. Note: According to the Bible, Adam was the first human being.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
not know someone from Adam
not know or be completely unable to recognize the person in question. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
not know somebody from ˈAdam
(informal) not know who somebody is: This man came into the office and he said that he knew me. I didn’t know him from Adam, which was a bit embarrassing.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
don't know from Adam
See know from Adam.
know (someone) from Adam, doesn't/not to
Not acquainted with someone. The Adam referred to in this mid-nineteenth century term is the first human being according to the Book of Genesis. One writer suggests that the inability to recognize Adam is the height of foolishness, since he had no name and wore only a fig leaf, but this point does not seem particularly relevant. The French have a similar saying that includes Eve as well (“Je ne connais ni d’Eve ni d’Adam”).
not know from Adam
See know from Adam.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer