donkey's ears
English
A long time, long like donkey’s ears
Etymology
1916 UK, from British rhyming slang, rhyming with years, due to donkey’s ears being long.[1]
Noun
donkey's ears pl (plural only)
- (Britain, idiomatic) A long time, years and years.
- 1916, E. V. Lucas, The Vermilion Box:[1]
- Now for my first bath for what the men call ‘Donkey’s ears’, meaning years and years.
- 1916, E. V. Lucas, The Vermilion Box:[1]
- (military, slang) A pair of scissor binoculars.
Synonyms
- ages
- donkey's years
- years and years
Derived terms
References
- 1 2 “Donkey's years” in Gary Martin, The Phrase Finder, 1997–, retrieved 26 February 2017.
- “Donkey's years” in Michael Quinion, World Wide Words, 15 April 2000.
- “Donkey’s Ears”, Web's greatest dick’n’arry of Cockney Rhyming Slang.
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