not hurt a fly

Also, not hurt a flea. Not cause harm to anyone, be gentle and mild, as in Paul's the kindest man—he wouldn't hurt a flea, or Bert has a temper but it's all talk; he wouldn't hurt a fly. Both fly and flea are used in the sense of “a small insignificant animal.” [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“He’s spent 46 years in prison … and has not hurt a fly,” said Woods’ attorney, Dominique Banos, CNN reported.

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Neighbors who live in the retirement community where the discovery was made said that Sourone-Mathers was a "very nice person" who would not "hurt a fly."

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“You must mean Ben,” said Frank, his voice quite easy now, “he always potters about on the shore. He’s quite a nice fellow, you need never be frightened of him. He would not hurt a fly.”

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Ciccolo’s mother has said her son “would not hurt a fly.”

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"He would not hurt a fly," Imam Akonjee's nephew Rahi Majid, told the newspaper.

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hold a candle to, not notice

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