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Glite Dictionary
to not touch with a barge pole

to not touch with a barge pole

9.9
Refuse to be involved with people or things that seem dangerous and dishonest
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : no tocar ni con un palo
  • He’s so unreliable that most managers would not touch him with a barge pole.

Examples

  • The company’s finances are such a mess that I’d not touch it with a barge pole.

  • Although they offered me a job, I would not touch that place with a barge pole.

  • I would not touch with a barge pole that deal!

  • Why would anyone not touch with a barge pole such an opportunity?

  • I wouldn't not touch with a barge pole any project that involves such shady practices.

  • After hearing the details, she decided she would not touch with a barge pole the proposal to invest.

  • Knowing his reputation, I would not touch with a barge pole anything he recommends.

Synonyms

to stay away from
vsto not touch with a barge pole
384 2.3

Avoid going near people or places for safety

is a refusal based on undesirability rather than mere caution or safety
to stay out of it
vsto not touch with a barge pole
56 3.8

To avoid getting involved in an argument or fight

is a refusal to be involved in general rather than only in conflicts
to keep one's hands off
vsto not touch with a barge pole
42 3.6

Not to touch or interfere with something that belongs to someone else

is a broader refusal to be involved not limited to physical contact
to keep one's distance
vsto not touch with a barge pole
32 3.9

To stay away from people or things to avoid close contact

is a refusal to become involved because something is considered undesirable
to shun
vsto not touch with a barge pole
26 4.6

To avoid someone or something and refuse to meet and speak to them on purpose

is a personal refusal to become involved because something seems undesirable
to turn away from
vsto not touch with a barge pole
15 3.7

To refuse to have anything to do with someone or something

is a refusal to become involved because it is seen as undesirable
to keep at arm's length
vsto not touch with a barge pole
10 6.3

To avoid getting too close to someone or something, often emotionally

is a refusal to become involved because the thing is considered problematic

Antonyms

eager
447 1.0

Wanting very much to do or have something and showing strong interest

How Willing

to keep away
187 1.6
to avoid
∞ 1.0
to steer clear of
  • Informal
34 4.0
to shun
26 4.6
to not touch with a barge pole
  • UK
9.9

Surface Forms

not touch with a barge pole infinitive
did not touch with a barge pole past
not touched with a barge pole past participle
not touching with a barge pole present participle
does not touch with a barge pole third person singular

Morphology

not + touch + with + a + barge + pole

The literal image — using a long barge pole to keep something at a distance — makes the general sense of strong avoidance partly derivable from the known words, so a learner could guess it means to avoid or shun something. However, the expression is a fixed idiomatic collocation (especially British) and the precise pragmatic sense ‘refuse to become involved’ and its register are not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Not touch with a barge pole comes from the image of a very long pole used on a barge to push or move things from far away, so people would not even 'touch' something with that long barge pole. So it now means 'to refuse to become involved' or 'to avoid something completely'.