Jeremy Chen    [More info] Recently I came across this sentence: I wouldn't get near one of the new programs in this country with a ten-foot pole. I cannot find the meaning of the phrase "a ten-foot pole." Is it a slang? What does it account for? Jeremy Chen

	+1 Robert Lieblich    [More info] "Recently I came across this sentence: I wouldn't get near one of the new programs in this country with a ten-foot pole. I cannot find the meaning of the phrase "a ten-foot pole." Is it a slang? What does it account for?" It's a cliche. The standard phraseology is "I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole," meaning that the speaker finds "it" (whatever "it" is) so offensive that he or she would stay at least ten feet away from it and even then would not want to make any sort of contact with it. In most contexts you'll find it a lot easier just to say something like "I consider it very offensive." -- Bob Lieblich Whose mother was a five-foot Pole Robert Lieblich

	+1 Jack Gavin    [More info] "Recently I came across this sentence: I wouldn't get near ... pole." Is it a slang? What does it account for?" "It's a cliche. The standard phraseology is "I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole," meaning that the speaker finds ... it. In most contexts you'll find it a lot easier just to say something like "I consider it very offensive."" ... or "scary", or otherwise "to be avoided". I've never seen the proverbial Ten-Foot Pole, but the NBA has a Seven-and-a-Half-Foot Yugoslav. (Slavko Vranes of the Portland Trail Blazers) -- Jack Gavin Jack Gavin

	+1 Peter Morris     [More info] "Recently I came across this sentence: I wouldn't get near one of the new programs in this country with a ten-foot pole. I cannot find the meaning of the phrase "a ten-foot pole." Is it a slang? What does it account for?" Often given as "10-foot bargepole". (A long pole with a hook on the end used for pulling canal boats to the bank of the canal.) HTH. Peter Morris

	+1 Tony Mountifield    [More info] "http://www.knls.org says it is an American idiom: "A fun American idiom is I WOULDN'T TOUCH THAT WITH A TEN-FOOT POLE ... want to get involved The pole refers to the long poles used to push barges down a canal or river" In fact the British equivalent is simply "I wouldn't touch that with a barge-pole". Cheers, Tony -- Tony Mountifield Work: (Email Removed) - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: (Email Removed) - http://tony.mountifield.org Tony Mountifield

	+1 Can you still buy \Spangles\?     [More info] "I cannot find the meaning of the phrase "a ten-foot pole." Is it a slang? What does it account for?" It is a mis-quote. The correct term is "a ten-foot barge pole." 100 years ago they used barges in England to convey good via the British canals. Barges were a common form of public transport. Slow, but cheaper than a coach, but both were horse-drawn. The barge workers used a 10-foot pole to push the barge away from the canal bank, to steer the barge under bridges, through tunnels and to fender off other canal traffic. The barge pole was a usefull tool for keeping things at bay. Can you still buy...

	+1 Harvey Van Sickle    [More info] "I cannot find the meaning of the phrase "a ten-foot pole." Is it a slang? What does it account for?" "It is a mis-quote. The correct term is "a ten-foot barge pole."" Not really a "mis-quote": the US and UK versions are different. In the US, it's "...with a ten-foot pole"; in the UK the wording is "...with a barge-pole". I've never heard "...with a ten-foot barge pole"; sounds redundant to my ear. -- Cheers, Harvey Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years; Southern England for the past 21 years. (for e-mail, change harvey to whhvs) Harvey Van Sickle

	+1 David    [More info] "It is a mis-quote. The correct term is "a ten-foot barge pole."" "Not really a "mis-quote": the US and UK versions are different. In the US, it's "...with a ten-foot pole"; in the UK the wording is "...with a barge-pole". I've never heard "...with a ten-foot barge pole"; sounds redundant to my ear." Not only is it redundant but the US is giving short measure again -- by two whole metres! The pole is a quarter of a chain. -- http://www.dacha.freeuk.com/ada/07-0.htm ...can you tell me what is the correct time to boil an egg? David