Where did the phrase Adam’s off ox come from?

The phrase dates back to the time when teams of oxen were used to pull wagons. It was used in it’s basic form to mean that a person is entirely unknown to the speaker.

What does the expression Adams off ox mean?

The phrase don’t know someone from Adam’s off ox means the speaker is not acquainted with the person, that the person is a stranger to him.

Why do we say don’t know you from Adam?

The phrase “I don’t know him from Adam” suggests that if the person were standing next to the person in Western tradition thought to be earliest human being, the two would be indistinguishable. The phrase “I don’t know her from Adam” can be used to refer to a woman who is similarly unrecognizable, but it’s less common.

What does Adam’s House Cat mean?

The Southern expression “I wouldn’t know him from Adam’s house cat” is an attempt to improve upon “I wouldn’t know him from Adam’s off ox” (referring to the “off” ox in the yoke farthest away from the driver), which in turn is a variation of “I wouldn’t know him from Adam.”