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<blockquote data-quote="Poke78" data-source="post: 3208487" data-attributes="member: 4333"><p>I've heard the saying and understood it as you do. However, your post sent me off to Bing for a search of the longer version of the saying which I've only heard in Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful Life" as spoken by Nick, the bartender in a scene from Stewart's "Potterville" vision. The term is "I don't know him from Adam's off ox." Here's the source and a short description: <a href="http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ada1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ada1.htm</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><strong>The off ox was the one on the off-side of the vehicle. If you stood behind the team looking forwards it was the one on the right-hand side. The driver walked on the left-hand side of the team, with the near-side ox at his right shoulder. He would get to know the personality and idiosyncrasies of this ox very well. However, the off ox was hidden behind the near-side one, and was yoked to it so that it could do nothing but follow it. So the off ox was — figuratively at least — less well known.</strong></p><p></p><p>BTW - the part of Nick the bartender was played by Sheldon Leonard who went on to a prolific career as an Executive Producer for shows such as Andy Griffith, I Spy, and Gomer Pyle, USMC, among others.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Poke78, post: 3208487, member: 4333"] I've heard the saying and understood it as you do. However, your post sent me off to Bing for a search of the longer version of the saying which I've only heard in Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful Life" as spoken by Nick, the bartender in a scene from Stewart's "Potterville" vision. The term is "I don't know him from Adam's off ox." Here's the source and a short description: [URL]http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ada1.htm[/URL] [INDENT] [B]The off ox was the one on the off-side of the vehicle. If you stood behind the team looking forwards it was the one on the right-hand side. The driver walked on the left-hand side of the team, with the near-side ox at his right shoulder. He would get to know the personality and idiosyncrasies of this ox very well. However, the off ox was hidden behind the near-side one, and was yoked to it so that it could do nothing but follow it. So the off ox was — figuratively at least — less well known.[/B][/INDENT] BTW - the part of Nick the bartender was played by Sheldon Leonard who went on to a prolific career as an Executive Producer for shows such as Andy Griffith, I Spy, and Gomer Pyle, USMC, among others. [/QUOTE]
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