Keep at arm's length

Origin

Imagine a knight, drawing his sword, instructing his squire to keep the enemy "at arm's length" – a vivid, literal distance essential for defense and tactical advantage. Or picture a merchant haggling in a bustling 16th-century market, wary of pickpockets, ensuring a safe, physical boundary. This simple, instinctual act of maintaining a minimum safe distance, literally the length of a human arm, was a primal form of self-preservation and control. Over time, this tangible boundary for physical safety evolved into a powerful metaphor for emotional and social detachment, allowing one to avoid intimacy, conflict, or unwanted influence, effectively protecting oneself from a perceived threat without direct confrontation.