# Clicks? Military unit of distance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2002, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572 "2002-07-30T18:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572/41 "2016-04-23T04:24:31Z")
To me, a “klick” is one kilometer and a “click” is the next detent either way on a rifle sight to move the point of impact 1 inch at 100 yards. In my experience, “clicks” were only used at a rifle range. Once we got our combat zero (200 yds for me), Tennessee windage took care of the rest. Why do we say 1,000 kilometers? What’s wrong with 1 Megameter? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572/42 "2016-04-23T12:44:07Z")
In any context where distances of a significant number of megameters are common, the term is in fact used. Such contexts just aren’t very common, on the surface of our planet (which is only 20 megameters between antipodal points). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572/43 "2016-04-23T15:14:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Mike” is just short for the letter “M”, and so can stand for anything the letter can stand for. When speaking over the radio mike is short for minutes. “Hold 10 mikes” is understood to mean standby for 10 minutes. You don’t have to establish that mikes means minutes and not McNuggets. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572/44 "2016-04-24T22:01:53Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I did not remember any such reference in _Troopers_, and I just confirmed it with a text search on an etext. He does NOT use the term. That said, I do recall Heinlein making a sideways reference to “bought the farm”, something about people dying having made land purchases or agricultural deals. I read it about 15 years ago, so I’m fuzzy nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572/45 "2016-04-25T01:13:06Z")
> [@svd678](#): > > “bought the farm” is a lot older than Viet Nam or WWI - it refers to fraternal insurance where a death paid off the mortgage. I always assumed it was a whole lot older – that it referred to the Roman Empire paying accumulated salary & bonuses to a centurion upon retirement, often including a plot of agricultural land in the rural area of the Empire. Or paying this to the widow of a long-term soldier killed in battle. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572/46 "2016-04-25T21:01:46Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > That said, I do recall Heinlein making a sideways reference to “bought the farm”, something about people dying having made land purchases or agricultural deals. I read it about 15 years ago, so I’m fuzzy nowadays. Yeah, he did that a lot. The part that was new for me was when someone said “bought the farm, or a piece of one” to refer to someone dead or severely injured (enough to be done with battle). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicks-military-unit-of-distance/121572.md?page=2)