Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US milit.) a kilometre.

1953		‘John Eagle’ Hoodlums (2021) 138: By the sixth drink, and forty clicks past Spring Valley, the front was dropped.
1965		Dallas Morning News 12 June A/12: But no one calls a kilometer a kilometer. It’s a ‘click’.
1970		in Bill Adler Vietnam Letters (2003) 3 May 153: LZ Lynn was only eight klicks from the border.
1985		(con. 1969–70) D. Bodey F.N.G. (1988) 83: We’re going another five kliks.
1986		L. Heinemann Paco’s Story (1987) 157: Guys that never hit a straight lick or humped as much as a single click their whole lives.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 324: ‘[W]here’s your place’ [...] ‘Only about two klicks the other side of the stables’.
1993		T. Jones Pugilist at Rest 59: We were ordered to proceed to a ville of friendlies four klicks downriver.
1998		R.G. Barrett Goodoo Goodoo 45: Cooktown wasn’t far from Cairns [...] Only ninety-six clicks.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 329: Bao Loc was north. 94 clicks.
2008		Simon & Burns ‘Cradle of Civilization’ Generation Kill ep. 2 [TV script] Here we sit with our thumbs up our asses while marines are dying a few kicks up the road.
2011		J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 13: Swagging barracuda a few clicks off the cape.
2018		C. Hammer Scrublands [ebook] Mulga scrub [...] starts about ten clicks north of town.
2019		N. Walker Cherry 103: We went half a click on [route] Martha and turned right.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 67: ‘Most of the town’s residents haven’t been fifty clicks outside of Cobb their whole lives’.
2022		J. Sweeney ‘Bad Days in Bakhmut’ in JohnSweeneyRoars 7 Sept.🌐 We call it a night and drive back the 20 kliks to Kostyantynivka through a few checkpoints.