arm's length
21
4.5
- noun
- /ɑrmz lɛŋkθ/
- Informal
:
a distancia
- Her sister held her at arm's length, taking in her suit.
- keep them at arm's length
- arm's-length relationship
Examples
-
I prefer to keep my son at arm's length.
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I don't know which is worse, but it's why I keep everyone at arm's length.
-
I keep him at arm's length.
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You were supposed to keep danger at arm's length.
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I was among those who enjoyed the arm's length labor management relationships.
Academic text (1990) -
"You've kept me at arm's length for so long"
-
Making these programs more effective will require putting them at arm's length from the bureaucracy.
Academic text (2011) -
When he finished, Balsam picked up the paper and held it at arm's length to read.
Fiction book (1991) -
But he wishes to be kept at arm's length from intelligence matters, so you, Saulnier, will sign the orders.
-
I prefer to keep new acquaintances at arm's length to protect my privacy.
Synonyms
9
4.8
Keep a distance from someone to avoid getting too close or involved
Antonyms
How Distant
Surface Forms
Morphology
arm's + length
The phrase literally combines 'arm' (a body part) and 'length' (a measure), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a distance about the length of an arm and, by extension, keeping someone at that distance. This physical-measure-to-figurative-distance mapping is transparent and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The expression arm's length comes from the simple image of how far you can reach with your arm, about one arm's length away. So keeping someone at an arm's length means keeping a safe 'distance' to avoid being too close or 'involved'.