not touch with a ten-foot pole
To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; signifies a strong aversion.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I would not touch that deal with a ten-foot pole.”
“I would not touch that old, broken car with a ten-foot pole.”
“He does not touch office gossip with a ten-foot pole.”
“The company has a terrible reputation, so I would not touch their new project with a ten-foot pole.”
“After seeing how much the two neighbors argue, I would not touch their legal dispute with a ten-foot pole.”
“The restaurant looks so dirty that most people in this neighborhood would not touch their food with a ten-foot pole.”
“Given the scandal surrounding the firm's recent financial disclosures, any sensible investor would not touch those stocks with a ten-foot pole.”
first recorded 19th c.
The expression first appears in the written record in 1844, followed by a related sense in 1846. It is a measurement of physical distance used to signal social or moral aversion. The length of the pole provides the necessary interval between the speaker and the object of their distaste.
- 01
bare poles
The condition of a sailing boat when all of its sails have been taken in.
- 02
common touch
The personal quality of showing understanding of and sympathy for the concerns of ordinary people; rapport with and acceptance by ordinary people, usually in a celebrity or leader.
- 03
everything one touches turns to gold
Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
- 04
everything one touches turns to shit
Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
- 05
golden touch
Synonym of Midas touch (“the ability to achieve financial reward (or, more generally, success) easily and consistently”).
- 06
high on the totem pole
Accorded relatively high importance.
- 07
human touch
The ability of a person to deal with others in a personable and empathetic way.
- 08
kick into touch
To evade an issue; to stop from happening.
Last updated August 10, 2026