A funny thing happened during church service last Sunday. My minister introduced the guest preacher as someone personable, friendly, and a spiritual brother. These words weren’t funny. The words that followed caught most of the congregation by surprise.
“I don’t know this preacher from Adam’s housecat, “my minister expounded.
Laughter swelled the sanctuary.
Who says stuff like this?
The answer is we do.
Is it a Southern phrase?
I’ve heard my parents use the phrase, ‘I don’t know him (or her) from Adam’s housecat’ numerous times. Of course! I’ve also used it along with my siblings.
Inquiring minds want to know more about this expression.
We wave, speak, and even converse with people we don’t know, and invariably someone will ask, “Who was that person?
Many times, the answer is, “I don’t know them from Adam’s housecat,” because you have never seen them before.
Then, strangely enough, some people may know us, but we may not know them.
So, who or what is Adam’s housecat? The phrase seems an impractical way to tell someone that an individual is a stranger.
Why not simply say that the individual is a stranger? Well, that’s too easy, and things get stranger.
‘I don’t know him from Adam’s off ox’ is the original folk expression. Try saying this several times without getting tongue-twisted.
What’s an off ox?
Let’s imagine that Adam had a team of two oxen pulling a wagon. The ox on the left side is the near ox, and the ox on the right side is the off ox. If the driver always walked on the near ox’s side of the team, he would know that ox better than the one on the right. Thereby, the right or off ox is less known than Adam, who is not known at all.
Because the expression ‘off ox’ was somewhat strange and perplexing, people started saying ‘I don’t know him from Adam’ for clarification.
Many believe the phrase ‘I don’t know him from Adam’s housecat’ is a Southern twist or offshoot of this simplified phrase.
Of course, we Southerners had to make it our own.
Believe it or not, slightly different versions exist in various states, which include but are not limited to the following:
I don’t know him from Adam’s housecoat.
I don’t know him from Adam’s foot.
I don’t know him from Adam’s brother.
Have you noticed something? Adam is a constant in this folk expression, but his possession is apt to vary.
I don’t know if this saying will be used for generations to come or if more Northern states will adopt it and add their twist, but I like it.
The saying may refer to not knowing anyone named Adam with a cat or even knowing Adam, the first man.
The more striking the saying, the better, but what about a similar saying relative to Eve?
I don’t know him from Eve’s cousin.
I don’t know her from Eve’s cookbook.
It’s true, Southerners have a way with words and expressions.
I hope you are happy and well.