Question

Touch Something with a Ten-Foot Pole to avoid at all costs; to stay far away from a difficult problem

Accepted Answer

I won't touch that controversy with a ten-foot pole. A writer in the mid-1800s wanted a lively way to describe someone who didn't want to deal with a troublesome issue. The image of a person not wanting to touch something nasty even with a pole ten feet long came to mind, and this famous idiom was created. This saying is sometimes "touch something with a ten-foot bargepole." It is always used in the negative, with words such as won't, wouldn't, or don't, because it refers to something you don't want to have anything to do with.

Idiom	Touch Something with a Ten-Foot Pole
Example	I won't touch that controversy with a ten-foot pole.
Meaning	to avoid at all costs; to stay far away from a difficult problem
Origin	A writer in the mid-1800s wanted a lively way to describe someone who didn't want to deal with a troublesome issue. The image of a person not wanting to touch something nasty even with a pole ten feet long came to mind, and this famous idiom was created. This saying is sometimes "touch something with a ten-foot bargepole." It is always used in the negative, with words such as won't, wouldn't, or don't, because it refers to something you don't want to have anything to do with.

Touch Ten Foot Pole I Controversy Avoid Costs Stay