not hurt a fly

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not hurt a fly

not injure or upset anyone or anything She said the arrest was a mistake, that her husband wouldn't hurt a fly.

Usage notes: also used in the forms can't hurt a fly, couldn't hurt a fly, and would never hurt a fly: He was so gentle he would never hurt a fly.

See also: fly, hurt

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? References in classic literature
Shuan would not hurt a fly except when he was drinking. Kidnapped by Stevenson, Robert Louis View in context "Oh, believe me, my anger means nothing; I could not hurt a fly," I smiled back bitterly. The Sea Wolf by London, Jack View in context More results

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