Related to this question, are there any metric alternatives to these idioms:
- He inches closer to her.
a. meters? – too far
b. centimeters? – too weird
c. scoots? – don't use units- By then, she was miles away from him.
a. far away? – again, don't use units
b. kilometers away? – maybe
c. light-years away? – probably better, preserving the hyperbole- This is an amazing foot-long sandwich.
a. half-a-meter-long? – not accurate
b. dong-long? – even less accurate. It rhymes, though
c. about-a-third-of-a-meter-long? – pretty accurate, but not very marketable- I went the whole nine yards.
a. the whole 8.23 meters? – …No
b. all the way? – again, don't use units- An ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory.
a. A gram/a tonne? – preserve the weight comparison, but even more hyperbolic
b. A little/a lot? – again, don't use units
Any suggestions? I mean, I've never seen any idioms using obsolete units like chain, furlong or league, but I'm sure there were some when they were in common usage.
Best Answer
The question assumes that if metric is dominant, then we need alternatives for non-metric idioms.
But this is incorrect. We can still use whichever idioms we want.
There are plenty of phrases and idioms using obsolete terms. We understand the meaning without knowing their origin. No problem.
There are officially metric countries that sell TVs, monitors, shirts and trousers by the inch. Some people don't even realise they are imperial units. Vinyl records are also sold by the inch (e.g. 12") and boxing gloves by the ounce (e.g. 16 oz).
So why should idioms, figurative by their nature, and not subject to retail law, require non-imperial replacements?
As long as they're useful, understood and used, they'll be used. Their meanings will change too, but still, they'll be used.