at arm's length

Idioms  

1. At a distance, avoiding intimacy or familiarity, as in Bill hated seeing his colleagues outside the office, preferring to keep all of them at arm's length, or She was friendly only when he was safely at arm's length. Now often used with the verb keep, this term for distancing oneself from a person, organization, or issue originated as at arm's end but developed its current form by the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

That day in the field outside Beijing, Silva managed to keep the poacher at arm's length until the police arrived.

From BBC

Rolex could show a way forward for the industry by keeping resellers at arm’s length, all while protecting its brand.

From The Wall Street Journal

It gave researchers autonomy, kept politics at arm’s length, and helped make American science the envy of the world.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jonesy holds me out at arm’s length.

From Literature

Then she holds me at arm’s length.

From Literature