The expression “I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole” conveys contempt or extreme dislike. Originally, a ten-foot pole was simply a measure of distance. Nineteenth-century songwriter Stephen Foster used it to describe the depth of a mud hole in his popular song “Camptown Races.” In 1884, American author William Dean Howells used the phrase metaphorically in his novel the Rise of Silas Lapham: “Do you suppose a fellow like young Corey… would touch mineral paint with a ten-inch pole?” wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole” emerged around the same time.
Ten-gallon hat has been used to refer to a cowboy hat since the early 1900s. The hat like the gallon measurement, was extremely large, perhaps the largest hat in the West. Large cowboy hats became known as ten-gallon hats. Another explanation is that the wide-brimmed hats worn by cowboys and ranchers were originally decorated with braids. A Spanish word for braid is galon.
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