What Does 'Skilometer' Mean And Why Do British People Prefer 'Skilometers' To 'Smiles?' The Viral Meme Explained

People in the U.S. love teasing Europeans for using the metric system and a recent viral series of memes only further proves that point. The memes use the term "skilometer" to poke fun at the way Europeans (and pretty much everyone else on earth) use kilometers instead of meters and they've been going viral since as early as 2020. Here's what they mean.

What Does 'Skilometer' Mean?

Back in 2020, a Redditor posted an image macro to /r/memes in which a character yells "smile" at a group of Europeans. They frown in response, until the same person yells "skilometer" at them, making them happy. The post gained over 45,000 upvotes and was spread across social media, striking confusion in some viewers.

The meme plays off the fact that Europeans use the metric system of measurement as opposed to Americans, who use the imperial system. This means that in Europe, they measure things in kilometers rather than meters. The joke is that "smile," which includes the word "mile," makes the Europeans angry because they don't use miles, but "skilometer" includes "kilometer," making it a welcome alternative to the word "smile" that Europeans can actually understand.

How Is 'Skilometer' Used In Memes?

Ever since the original meme went viral in 2020, further memes using the term "skilometer" have popped up online. These memes often use a variation of the exact same joke but with a different reaction image meant to convey angry or upset Europeans after being told to "smile" rather than to "skilometer."

In essence, the term "skilometer" has now become a slang term that essentially means "British smile." So, next time you want a European to smile, you know what to tell them.

For the full history of "skilometer," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.