English Explanatory Dictionary

not touch with a barge pole

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; (signifies a strong aversion).

Pronunciation

En-au-not touch something with a barge pole.ogg

Word forms

not touch with a barge pole not touch something with a ten-foot pole

Etymology

Probably derived from the barge poles that bargemen used to fend off wharfs and other boats.

Related words

not be caught dead over my dead body
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