Ten foot pole

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This article is about the expression, for the band, see: Ten Foot Pole

Ten foot pole comes from the expression in British English, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

This may have been derived by the 10-foot poles that river boatmen used to use to pole their boats along in shallow water, or from the barge poles that bargemen used to fend off wharfs and other boats.

The expression I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole is generally used in the sense of not wanting to get involved in an issue, or having a strong distaste for something,

[edit] Example

Writing in The Guardian, David Morefield says of James Bond that:

Serious actors of the world wouldn't touch the part with a ten-foot pole. ^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^  The Guardian - I spy, the new 007

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