Idiom idiom
Adam's ale
Meaning
Water.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I do not want soda, just a glass of Adam's ale.”
“After the long hike in the summer heat, we were happy to drink some cool Adam's ale.”
“The weary traveler declined the offer of wine, requesting only a cup of Adam's ale to quench his thirst.”
Origin
first recorded 17th c.
first recorded 17th c.
Attested in 1643, the phrase refers to the biblical Adam and the presumption that, during his tenure in Eden, his beverage options were limited to water. As the first man lacked a brewery, the term provides a mock-elevated name for a liquid notable only for its lack of fermentation.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026