Meaning of Idiom ‘Adam’s Ale’
Adam’s ale is an old-fashioned term for plain water. 1Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. 22. Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.
In Scotland, the term is sometimes heard as Adam’s wine.
Sentence Examples
“We have no beer or wine. You’ll have to make do with Adam’s ale.”
“Cold beer is great on a hot summer’s day, but if you are truly thirsty, nothing will do but Adam’s ale.”
Origin Of Adam’s Ale Idiom
This old and rarely-heard idiom is based on the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and alludes to the assumption that Adam had only water to drink. It gained widespread usage during the temperance movement beginning in the 1830’s. However, it was used in print as early as 1780 in a poem called The Jug of Rum by Philip Freneau, an early temperance or teetotolism advocate 3“Adam’s Ale.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam%27s_ale.
“A spring that never yet grew stale—Such virtue lies in—Adam’s ale!”
More Idioms Starting with A
More Biblical Idioms
- Wash Your Hands of (Someone or Something)
- Bottomless Pit
- Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots, a
- Writing On the Wall
- Turn the Other Cheek
- The Bitter End, to (until)
- Take As Gospel
More Proper Name Idioms
More Water Related Idioms
- Fish Out of Water
- Throw Out the Baby with the Bathwater, don’t
- Water Under The Bridge
- Water Off a Duck’s Back, like
- Lovely Weather for Ducks