BBB Etymology - 10 Foot Pole
The ten-foot pole that you wouldn't touch something with (1909) was originally a 40-foot pole; the idea is the same as the advice to use a long spoon when you dine with the devil.
Or
This expression may have been suggested by the 10-foot poles that river boatmen used to pole their boats along in shallow water. In the sense of not wanting to get involved or having strong distaste for something, the words aren't recorded until the late 19th century.
Or
This expression may have been suggested by the 10-foot poles that river boatmen used to pole their boats along in shallow water. In the sense of not wanting to get involved or having strong distaste for something, the words aren't recorded until the late 19th century.
