Wiktionary
barge poles
n. (barge pole English)
Usage examples of "barge poles".
Our sails will be reefed, of course, to avoid being seen, and we'll use a couple of the oars as barge poles, to keep us clear of the banks.
There was no time after dawn when it was not a mass of boats of all sizes, many of them equipped with completely illegal rams and spikes, many locked together willy-nilly in raftlike complexes, the occupants swearing and flailing at each other with oars, paddles, barge poles, whips, boarding hooks, and specialized assegailike weapons developed by the more ingenious.
Some wits made remarks about barge poles, but never when Valentine was around.