Measurement Idioms

the whole nine yards

• the entire thing

• nine different options

• a yard sale

• a football field

a mile a minute

• extremely fast

• a long journey

• sixty miles per hour

• milestones in a minute

walk a mile in someone's shoes

• understand someone's perspective

• take a long walk

• wear someone else's shoes

• a mile-long fashion show

a ton of bricks

• a lot of pressure or stress

• heavy construction material

• a weightlifting competition

• a ton of building blocks

a country mile

• a long way

• rural distance measurement

• a mile in the countryside

• a mile with a view

missed it by a mile

• Narrowly avoided

• one mile off target

• a long miss

• hit the bullseye

an ounce of sense

• a small amount of wisdom

• sense of taste

• a weight measurement

• sense of direction

Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.

• Generosity leads to exploitation.

• Small gestures lead to big returns.

• Measure carefully before giving.

• A metaphorical representation of a healthy relationship

inching along

• Moving very slowly

• Measuring small distances

• An inchworm's journey

• Rapid progress

all wool and a yard wide

• High-quality material

• A broad yardstick

• Woolen yard sales

• Yard-wide fashion