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Not touching that with a ten foot barge pole (or sometimes just a ten foot pole) means refusing to get involved with something because it seems unpleasant, risky, or troublesome.
The idiom draws from the long poles used to push barges along canals. A barge pole was long enough to push a boat a fair distance, so the phrase suggests staying as far away from a problem as possible.
The idiom draws from the long poles used to push barges along canals. A barge pole was long enough to push a boat a fair distance, so the phrase suggests staying as far away from a problem as possible.
After hearing how spicy that chili was, I said I was not touching that with a ten foot barge pole.