I found a definition for goad this on the Internet while research some math problems for class I thought you might enjoy from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. . goad a traditional unit of distance sometimes used in measuring cloth. One goad is equal to 54 inches or 1.5 yards (1.3716 meters). A goad was originally a spear; later it was a pointed rod used for prodding animals to get a move on. The unit must have originated as the length of such an instrument.