[Idiom] I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole

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dickybird

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I would like to know the origin, please.
 

bhaisahab

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I would like to know the origin, please.

If you google it you will find various explanations but the fact is nobody seems to know for certain.
 

AlVal

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Having used barges in canals, I can advise that the sides of locks and banks etc. which someone navigating a canal would often need to press their barge-pole against can be very slimy and filthy, and definitely not nice to touch with your hands. To suggest you wouldn't even want your barge-pole to touch it (an item which routinely touches this filth) suggests it must be something extra-nasty indeed
 

dickybird

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Having used barges in canals, I can advise that the sides of locks and banks etc. which someone navigating a canal would often need to press their barge-pole against can be very slimy and filthy, and definitely not nice to touch with your hands. To suggest you wouldn't even want your barge-pole to touch it (an item which routinely touches this filth) suggests it must be something extra-nasty indeed

Thank you, AlVal. I felt certain it came from canal barges, but I've never been on one. Your experience has filled in the gap and I'm sure this is it as it fits perfectly.
 

Tdol

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Having used barges in canals, I can advise that the sides of locks and banks etc. which someone navigating a canal would often need to press their barge-pole against can be very slimy and filthy, and definitely not nice to touch with your hands. To suggest you wouldn't even want your barge-pole to touch it (an item which routinely touches this filth) suggests it must be something extra-nasty indeed

That's an interesting point.
 
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