# Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System > Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System is a 2019 catchphrase meme originating from a Kansas City news report measuring a sinkhole in washing machines, mocking American media's use of absurd non-standard units like alligators and hamburgers. "Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System" is a catchphrase meme that mocks the tendency of American media and institutions to measure things using absurd, non-standard units like washing machines, alligators, and hamburgers instead of metric measurements. The phrase took off in August 2019 after a Twitter user quote-tweeted a Kansas City news report that described a sinkhole as "roughly six to seven washing machines" wide, and examples of the joke keep surfacing whenever U.S. news outlets reach for creative comparisons. ## Origin The concept predates the famous catchphrase by several years. On October 6, 2015, Redditor ijkirl posted an image to r/Funny showing what appeared to be a library book page explaining that a deer is "as tall as a bicycle and weighs as much as 800 hamburgers"[3]. The caption framed this as a distinctly American approach to measurement, and the comments quickly turned into jokes about the country's reluctance to adopt the metric system[3]. The catchphrase itself arrived four years later. On August 10, 2019, Twitter user @Ralphium quote-retweeted a report from Kansas City's KSHB 41 News, which had described a road sinkhole as "roughly six to seven washing machines" in size[3]. @Ralphium's commentary, riffing on the idea that Americans will measure with literally anything except metric units, struck a nerve. The tweet pulled in over 250,000 likes and 67,000 retweets over the following years[3]. - **Platform:** Reddit (early examples), Twitter (viral catchphrase) - **Creator:** @Ralphium (coined the phrase on Twitter), ijkirl (early Reddit example) - **Date:** 2019 (phrase), 2015 (concept) ## Overview The meme centers on a simple observation: American news outlets, government agencies, and everyday conversations frequently describe sizes, distances, and weights using bizarre comparisons rather than standard metric units. A sinkhole isn't 4 meters wide, it's "six to seven washing machines." An asteroid isn't 5 meters across, it's "giraffe-sized." Social distancing isn't 2 meters, it's "one alligator length apart." The humor comes from the sheer creativity of these comparisons and the fact that they often raise more questions than they answer[2]. Refrigerators, for instance, come in wildly different sizes depending on whether you're talking about a college dorm mini-fridge or the double-door behemoth in a suburban kitchen[2]. The meme format typically pairs a screenshot of an actual American news report using a non-standard measurement with the catchphrase or a variation of it. ## How It Spread The meme jumped to Reddit's meme communities quickly. On February 4, 2020, Redditor OfficialLuxxy posted to r/Me_Irl using the "Nobody" format, with the British explaining they developed the metric system while Americans responded with the deer-hamburger measurement image[3]. That post collected over 10,000 upvotes[3]. The COVID-19 pandemic gave the meme a fresh boost in April 2020, when Polk County, Florida suggested residents use "one alligator" as a social distancing guideline[3]. The county's official guidance appeared in a news report, and the screenshot spread across r/Dankmemes and Twitter as a perfect real-world example of the joke[3]. American news kept delivering material. In 2022, an asteroid scare produced headlines describing the space rock as "giraffe-sized," which became another widely shared example[2]. Then in early 2024, when Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 lost a door plug mid-flight, multiple outlets described the resulting opening as "about the size of a refrigerator"[2]. The Autopian pointed out the obvious flaw in that comparison: refrigerators come in dramatically different sizes depending on whether you mean a European apartment model or the massive American version[2]. The meme also found a natural home around National Metric Week, celebrated each year during the week containing October 10th (10/10, a nod to the base-10 system)[1]. Cheezburger compiled a listicle noting that Americans have measured things in feet, stones, grains, football fields, cheeseburgers, bald eagles, bathtubs, and even Ariana Grande[1]. ## How to Use The meme works in two main ways: **Sharing real examples:** Screenshot an actual American news report, tweet, or official communication that uses a non-standard unit of measurement. Caption it with "Americans will use anything except the metric system" or a variation. The funnier the comparison unit, the better the post lands. **Creating fictional examples:** Make up absurd measurement comparisons in the same style. "That's about 47 bald eagles long" or "roughly the weight of 3,000 McNuggets." The joke works best when the fake unit sounds just plausible enough to have appeared in a real news broadcast. The format is flexible. It shows up as image macros, Twitter quote-tweets, Reddit posts with the "Nobody:" template, and simple text posts. The key ingredient is always the same: an American measurement that uses anything other than meters, liters, or grams. ## Cultural Impact The meme taps into a long-running international joke about the United States being one of only three countries (alongside Myanmar and Liberia) that haven't officially adopted the metric system. What makes it land so well is that the examples are almost always real. American news genuinely does describe sinkholes in washing machines and asteroids in giraffes[2]. The joke also works as gentle self-deprecation among Americans who recognize the absurdity. Professionals who work in both measurement systems, like those in precision manufacturing and automotive repair, note that fluency in both metric and imperial is already a practical reality, even if the news broadcasts haven't caught up[2]. ## Fun Facts - National Metric Week falls on the week containing October 10th because 10/10 references the base-10 metric system, but most Americans have never heard of it[1]. - The Swabian German word "Muggeseggele," meaning roughly "a housefly's ballsack," is used the same way English speakers say "a smidge," proving Americans aren't the only ones with creative measurement alternatives[2]. - Metric and imperial socket wrenches are surprisingly close in some sizes: 8mm is nearly identical to 5/16" and 11mm works for 7/16", a quirk that mechanics on both sides of the Atlantic exploit daily[2]. - Cheezburger described their metric system listicle as "15 squirrels long," staying perfectly on-brand[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System"? It's a catchphrase meme poking fun at the American habit of using absurd, non-standard units (like washing machines or alligators) to measure things instead of metric units[3]. ### Where did "Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System" come from? The phrase was coined by Twitter user @Ralphium on August 10, 2019, in response to a Kansas City news report that measured a sinkhole in washing machines[3]. ### What does "Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System" mean? It's a joke about how the United States, one of only three countries that hasn't officially adopted the metric system, defaults to creative and often absurd comparisons instead of using meters and kilograms[1]. ### How do you use "Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System"? Find or screenshot a real example of an American news outlet using a non-standard measurement, then caption it with the catchphrase or a variation of it[3]. ### Is "Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System" still popular? Yes. New examples keep surfacing whenever American media uses creative measurement comparisons, like the "refrigerator-sized" Alaska Airlines door plug in 2024[2]. ### What was the first example of this meme? One of the earliest known examples is a 2015 Reddit post showing a library book that measured a deer as "tall as a bicycle and weighing as much as 800 hamburgers"[3]. ### How many likes did the original tweet get? @Ralphium's 2019 quote-tweet about the washing machine sinkhole received over 250,000 likes and 67,000 retweets[3]. ### What is the alligator social distancing meme? During COVID-19 in April 2020, Polk County, Florida told residents to stay "one alligator apart" for social distancing, which became one of the meme's most popular examples[3]. ### Why don't Americans use the metric system? The U.S. has partially adopted metric in scientific and military contexts, but everyday life, media, and commerce still largely use the imperial system of feet, pounds, and Fahrenheit[1]. ### What is National Metric Week? It's an awareness week celebrated around October 10th (10/10) to promote the metric system, though it gets more attention as meme fuel than as a serious educational effort[1]. ## References 1. [Celebrate ‘National Metric Week’ by Showing the World That You Will Use Anything but the Metric System - Geek Universe - Geek | Fanart | Cosplay | Pokémon GO | Geek Memes | Funny pictures]() 2. [Americans Will Measure Using Anything But The Metric System: COTD - The Autopian]() 3. [Americans Will Use Anything Except The Metric System - Know Your Meme]() 4. 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