not touch with a ten-foot pole
动词 v.
英文释义
动词 v.
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To avoid something at all costs; to refuse to associate with something; signifies a strong aversion.
— 1873. Ambrose Bierce (under the pseudonym Dod Grile), The Fiend's Delight In conclusion, his respect for letter-writing ladies is so great that he would not touch one of them with a ten-foot pole.
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To be unable (perhaps figuratively) to approach something or someone.
— On the contrary, my dear Mr. Gordon, it is because I do know him, or know of him, that I am turning him over to you. You are the one person in the world to obtain that coal lease. I confess I couldn't touch the Major with a ten-foot pole, any more than you could go North and get the cash. But you are his neighbor, and he likes you. What you recommend, he'll do.
词源
Sense 1 attested in 1846; sense 2 in 1844.
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数据来源: Wiktionary