definitions

coon's age

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR coon's age ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

a long time: I haven't seen you in a coon's age!

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RELATED WORDS

ages

Nearby words

coon, coon cat, coon cheese, coon dog, coon rapids, coon's age, coonass, cooncan, cooner, coonhound, coonskin

Origin of coon's age

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for coon's age

coon's age

noun

US slang 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

Idioms and Phrases with coon's age

coon's age

Also, a dog's age. A very long time, as in I haven't seen Sam in a coon's age, or It's been a dog's age since I went to the ballpark. The first phrase rests on the mistaken idea that raccoons (“coons”) live a long time. The variant may reflect a similar assumption but the true origin is not known. [c. 1835] Also see donkey's years.

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