From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnot touch something/somebody (with a bargepole)not touch something/somebody (with a bargepole)British English, not touch something/somebody with a ten-foot pole American EnglishAVOID used to say that you think someone or something is bad and people should not be involved with them I wouldn’t touch him with a bargepole. Financial analysts have warned investors not to touch these offers with a ten-foot pole. → touch
Examples from the Corpus
not touch something/somebody (with a bargepole)• Dole says he will not touch Medicare, and he wants to throw more money at the Pentagon.• I reached out to feel your forehead, but you burned so hot I could not touch you with my bare hands.• If you have a chest, head or abdominal wound, keep as quiet as possible - do not touch the wound.• Its theory is both rigorous and self-consistent and has provided descriptions of many aspects which structural grammar did not touch upon.• So if he got on the stand, Harvester could not touch him.• The meter and service pipe should not touch or be close to any electrical conduit or apparatus.• They do not touch every topic, nor every region.• You can't hate what you can not touch, I can't even feel what most people think of as despair. 