wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole

I wouldn't touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole

I do not want to become in any way involved in or with something or someone. Primarily heard in US. Get that cocaine away from me. I wouldn't touch that junk with a ten-foot pole! You might think John is attractive, but I wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole. He seems like a creep. Sushi? No way—I wouldn't touch raw fish with a ten-foot pole.

See also: pole, touch

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

wouldn't touch someone or something with a ten-foot pole

Cliché would not be involved with something under any circumstances. I know about the piece of vacant land for sale on Maple Street. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole because there used to be a gas station there and the soil is polluted. Tom said he wouldn't touch Sally with a ten-foot pole.

See also: pole, touch

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.