AKACroatalin's definitions

Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole

Wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole is an expression indicating extreme dislike and distaste for an object, person or situation. The expression can be used in a similar way to wouldn’t touch her with a 10 foot pole, but is not solely applicable to females; it is even more disparaging when used about a female as it treats her as something less than human. Many bargepoles were 12 or 13 feet long, but one specialised type called a setting boom could be as long as 28 feet! So as you can imagine, wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole means something which you would much rather keep well away from.

“Mate, you want to avoid that one; I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole!”

by AKACroatalin August 15, 2016

Triskaidekaphobia

This is fear of the number 13. It goes back to the time of Christ where there were 13 at the last supper and is a surprisingly common fear. Hotels rarely have a 13th floor and many people will not be part of a group of 13; Winston Churchill, for example, refused to dine at a table with 13 guests.

Many people suffer from triskaidekaphobia

by AKACroatalin February 16, 2017

Adaptable

It’s an adjective; it means able to adjust to new conditions or capable of being modified for a new purpose. It can be applied to both people and objects and some authorities say that being adaptable, able to cope with changing conditions, is why humans are the dominant life form on earth.
It is frequently used in the workplace to describe someone who can handle anything and is capable of taking on the jobs that would have others scratching their heads until they got splinters under their fingers. It is also used to describe members of the British armed forces, one reason, perhaps, why they are the best in the world.

People are adaptable when conditions change.
The telephone was sufficiently adaptable to go mobile and send texts.

by AKACroatalin May 19, 2015