Give an Inch, Take a Mile

Give an inch, take a mile is an expression that means if you give in (ceder) to someone’s demands, then they’ll take even more! But literally, how much is an inch? An inch is 2.54 centimeters. While in the majority of the world, the metric system is used for length, mass and volume, in everyday life, the United States use a more traditional system of measurement inherited from the British imperial system. Keeping this in mind when traveling in the US might be helpful.

Of course, public transport isn’t as extensive as it is in Europe, so using a car is almost essential if you want to get around. Instead of using kilometers, Americans use miles. A mile is larger than a kilometer, a mile is 1.6 kilometers, so distances may seem shorter than they really are. For example, the distance between New York and Washington DC is only 206 miles but 331 kilometers. Whereas the distance between Barcelona and Madrid is 505 kilometers but only 314 miles.

It’s also important to keep miles in mind to know how fast you can drive. Depending on the state, the speed limit is 55 or 65 miles per hour (mph). So if you drove 120 kilometer per hour, you would be driving 75 mph, and the police could pull you over for speeding!

Of course, if you’re driving all over the place, you’ll have to fill up the tank of the car with gas, which is measured in gallons. Gallons are also greater than liters. For example it takes between 10 and 13 gallons (38 to 49 liters) of gas to fill up a subcompact car, while it takes 20 to 30 gallons (76 to 114 liters) to fill up an SUV!