not touch with a barge pole
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To completely avoid something or someone
Literally: to not make physical contact with a long pole used on a barge
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I wouldn't touch that company with a barge pole after reading the reviews
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “not touch with a barge pole” mean?
To completely avoid something or someone Literally: to not make physical contact with a long pole used on a barge
Is “not touch with a barge pole” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.