What does bargepole mean?
A bargepole is a long pole, traditionally made of wood, used to propel, steer, or fend off a barge by pushing against the bed of a river or canal. It was an essential tool of the bargemen who once moved goods along Britain's canal network, and it survives today among narrowboat enthusiasts and working boat crews. Beyond its literal use, the word has entered everyday language through the chiefly British idiom 'wouldn't touch it with a bargepole', a colourful way of expressing complete unwillingness to become involved with a person, deal, or venture. The image is vivid: just as a bargeman keeps a drifting hull at a safe distance with his pole, so the speaker keeps whatever they distrust firmly out of reach. The phrase is informal and carries a tone of emphatic rejection, making it a memorable alternative to plainer expressions of dislike.
nounA long pole used to propel or fend off a barge, especially by pushing against the riverbed or canal bank. Figuratively, especially in British English, it appears in the idiom 'wouldn't touch it with a bargepole', meaning to want nothing to do with something.
- A long wooden pole used to push or guide a barge or canal boat by pressing against the riverbed or bank.
- Figurative use in the chiefly British idiom 'wouldn't touch it with a bargepole', expressing strong reluctance to become involved with something.
"The bargeman steered the narrowboat through the lock using nothing but his bargepole."
"He fended the heavy barge off the lock wall with a practiced shove of his bargepole."
"After the accounting scandal, investors wouldn't touch the company's shares with a bargepole."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to multiple poles, though the figurative idiom almost always uses the singular.
"The boathouse stored several bargepoles of varying lengths along its wall."
In Britain, saying you 'wouldn't touch something with a bargepole' is one of the most vivid ways to declare total distrust — borrowed straight from the tool canal workers used to keep barges at arm's length.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bargepole
The word combines 'barge', a flat-bottomed cargo boat whose name traces back through Old French to late Latin 'barca', with 'pole', from Old English. The compound arose naturally among canal and river workers, with the figurative idiom developing later as a metaphor for keeping something at arm's length. Related terms from the same Latin root include 'barque' (a type of sailing vessel) and the verbs 'embark' and 'disembark'.
How bargepole is actually used
The literal sense is now relatively rare outside canal and boating contexts, while the figurative idiomatic use remains common in informal British English. The idiom conveys strong aversion or distrust and is generally considered colloquial rather than formal.
Easily confused with bargepole
A punt pole propels a small flat-bottomed pleasure boat called a punt, while a bargepole is the longer, heavier pole used for working barges and canal boats.