klick en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
* Most likely a pseudo-condensed pronunciation of kilometer, being a suitably short word emphasizing k+l instead of /keɪ/ alone (the same principle as with military spelling alphabets, but also clearly distinguished from kilo (/kiːloʊ/) for kilogram). * Possibly onomatopoeic of the sound of a military odometer. When a soldier would complete a mark, they would signal to their commander and denote movement of 1,000 meters by hoisting up their rifle and moving the gas regulator with their thumb, which made a "click" the commander could hear.
Meanings
-
(slang) A kilometer.
No siree, Bob, we are the only ship in three million clicks.
2015 November 23, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, “Dulcinea”, in The Expanse, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar):Several klicks closer, the ruins of the City of Poets rose jaggedly against the skyline.
1990, Dan Simmons, The Fall of Hyperion, 1st edition, New York: Doubleday, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 165:Chief, can you hear me?...(static) My bird's down. Half a klick -(static)- downriver from your position.
2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Sierra 117:an asteroid between one and three kilometers wide had slammed into the ground at fifteen klicks per second.
2002 May, Robert J. Sawyer, Hominids (The Neanderthal Parallax; 1), Tor, →ISBN, page 82:
- (plural-normally, slang) Kilometres per hour.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| klicks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (3)
et kilt (slang, a kilometre) · fr borne (slang, a kilometre) · et kilts (slang, a kilometre)