Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick

Nobody wants to take a sharp stick and poke it in the eye of the president no matter what his approval rating is. He is too strong with Republican primary voters and three years from now he will remember anyone who votes against his nominee.

It beats getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick.

Don't buy a pig in a poke

I didn't know whether it was going in or not, so I decided to poke out my stick and redirect it. It was a quick decision.

Smile, it's better than a poke in the eye.