not hurt a fly

not injure or upset anyone or anything She said the arrest was a mistake, that her husband wouldn't hurt a fly.

Usage notes: also used in the forms can't hurt a fly, couldn't hurt a fly, and would never hurt a fly: He was so gentle he would never hurt a fly.

not hurt a fly

Also, not hurt a flea. Not cause harm to anyone, be gentle and mild, as in Paul's the kindest man-he wouldn't hurt a flea, or Bert has a temper but it's all talk; he wouldn't hurt a fly. Both fly and flea are used in the sense of "a small insignificant animal." [Early 1800s]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Whittington	['hwitiŋtən]
Toviyyah	-	Biblical Hebrew
Menelaos	-	Greek Mythology
Vlado	-	Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Skyler	SKIE-lər	English (Modern)
Themistocles	-	Ancient Greek (Latinized)