Cliché I would not have anything to do with it under any circumstances. (Said about something you think is untrustworthy, as in the first example, or in response to a remark that seems to invite a nasty reply, as in the second example. The British version is "I would not touch it with a bargepole.") Jill: This advertisement says I can buy land in Florida for a small investment. Do you think I should? Jane: I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.Jane: Can you believe this? Jill said she thinks I'm bossy. You don't think I'm bossy, do you? Mary: I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole.