Touch something/someone with a ten-foot pole
“De lejitos / con pincitas
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- Meaning
To avoid contact with somebody or someone. To stay far from someone or something at all cost.
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- Origin
This idiom was coined by a writer who wanted to emphasize the fact that there are situations or persons you prefer to stay far from because they might be dangerous, disgusting, or simply make you feel uncomfortable. If you saw alion lying on the ground, how would you know that it is dead or just sleeping? If it were dead, you wouldn´t be in danger. But how could you know? Maybe by using a ten-foot pole you might move the lion and check. If it wakes up, you still have time to run away. A similar expression is “Like a pest”.
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- Example
When interviewed about the famous bite Luis Suarez gave him, Giorgio Chiellini joked and said that next time he played versus him, he wouldn´t touch him even with a ten-foot pole!
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