know one's ass from a hole in the ground en · VERB
Meanings
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(idiomatic, vulgar) To have an adequate level of knowledge or skill; to understand what one is doing or talking about.
In the unofficial ad, the facilitator says about the man whose wife will be replaced, “This guy wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”
2006 December 5, David Kiley, Chrysler "Whoops" Ads Part of Important New Genre, Bloomberg, retrieved 23 Sep 2016:"Why are you so sure and they aren't?" the landsman said. . . . "Because Mr. Ricimer knows his ass from a hole in the ground, sir."
2004, David Drake, The Reaches, →ISBN:Foxx gave a comic's pause. "Just goes to show you, don't it? Some folks don't know their ass from a hole in the ground."
2005 June 12, Gary M. Pomerantz, “First Chapter: Wilt, 1962”, in New York Times, retrieved 26 Jul 2014:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| knows one's ass from a hole in the ground | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| knew one's ass from a hole in the ground | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| knowing one's ass from a hole in the ground | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| known one's ass from a hole in the ground | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| know the difference between one's ass and a hole in the ground | alternative | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Relateds
know someone from a hole in the ground
Synonyms
know B from a battledore · know one's head from a hole in the ground · know shit from Shinola · know what one is about · know one's head from one's ass · find one's ass with both hands and a flashlight · know one's ass from one's elbow · know which end is up
Translations (5)
es confundir la velocidad con el tocino (Translations) · es estar más perdido que un calamar en un pajar (Translations) · es estar más perdido que un pulpo en un garaje (Translations) · jam know weh 'im fa (Translations) · pl znać się na rzeczy (Translations)