Adam's ale

Definition

Water.

Etymology

Attested in 1643. A reference to the only drink available to Adam, the first man in the biblical tradition, while in Eden.

Example Sentences

• "[T]hey have beene ſhut up in priſons and dungeons lying on the cold ground, ſtones or boards without beds, ſtraw, fire or any the leaſt refreſhment; allowed onely a poore pittance of Adams''' Ale, and ſcarce a penny bread a day to ſupport their lives, though their friends would provide it for them; [...]"
• "She had loaded Floss into the basket, tied a sugarbag containing necessities—sketch pad, pencils, corned beef sandwiches wrapped in newsprint, a bottle of water from the garden tap, the best water, the clearest, Adam's ale — to the frame of her bicycle and set off, Floss sits up in the basket, looking ahead, though of course she can't see, but her nose is up, her world a dizzy palette of smell, as clear and bright as it is to Sybil, pedalling carefully along the river and down Fitzgerald Avenue towards the hills."