not touch with a barge pole

== English == === Alternative forms === 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. === Pronunciation === === Verb === not touch with a barge pole (idiomatic, UK) To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; (signifies a strong aversion). ==== Usage notes ==== This expression is almost exclusively used in the negative. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== not be caught dead over my dead body