The more uncertainty there is, the more each woman is likely to keep the other at arm's length.

WSJ: Getting Along With the Original Other Woman��Your Mother-in-Law

Unreasonably allergic to immigration, reasonably wishing to leave people to their own devices, Britain has sought to keep the colonies at arm's length.

ECONOMIST: Is it a colony or isn��t it?

"There was a very concerted attempt not to play this game, to keep the media at arm's length, " he told BBC Two's Newsnight.

BBC: Nothing personal: Politicians and their media friends