donkey's ears
English
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Skegness4web.jpg/170px-Skegness4web.jpg)
Etymology
1916 UK, from British rhyming slang, rhyming with years, due to donkey’s ears being long.[1]
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
- (British, 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
Derived terms
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gary Martin (1997–) “Donkey's years”, in The Phrase Finder, retrieved 26 February 2017.
- Michael Quinion (April 15, 2000) “Donkey's years”, in World Wide Words.
- “Donkey’s Ears”, Web's greatest dick’n’arry of Cockney Rhyming Slang.