donkey's years

See synonyms for donkey's years on Thesaurus.com
nounInformal.
  1. a very long time; eons.

Origin of donkey's years

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; probably originally donkey('s) ears, as rhyming slang for years, with years replacing ears once the rhyming origin was forgotten

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British Dictionary definitions for donkey's years

donkey's years

noun
  1. informal a long time

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with donkey's years

donkey's years

A long time, as in I haven't seen her in donkey's years. This expression punningly alludes to the considerable length of the animal's ears. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.