Donkey's years
Meaning
A very long time. Sometimes referred to as Donkey Years or Donkey's Ears. It means a really really long time.
1. This is an example of an expression that has altered its spelling over time. "Not for donkey's ears" means not for a very long time and refers to the length of a donkey's ears. However, they gradually stretched from the "donkey" and turned "ears" into "years". The meaning of the expression is the same, if it does make rather less sense than the original.
2. Because donkeys tend to plod along slowly, they take a long time to complete a task or journey. Therefore, a donkey year takes a long time to elapse.
Examples:
"I haven't seen Johnny in Donkey's Years"
"Wow it's been Donkey Years since the last time I ate pop tarts!"
Oh, I've known her for donkey's years.
I've been doing this job for donkey's years.
Origin
A query at the Phrases and Sayings Discussion Forum asked if the British slang term for 'a very long time' was donkey's years or donkey's ears. My first thoughts were, "donkey's years of course - what would ears have to do with it?". It turns out that I was being rather hasty. Donkey's years is now the more commonly used slang term when meaning 'a long time', but donkey's ears, although used little in recent years, has been a jokey alternative for some time - certainly from the early 20th century, viz. E. V. Lucas' Vermilion Box, 1916:
"Now for my first bath for what the men call 'Donkey's ears', meaning years and years."
This slightly pre-dates the earliest printed version that I can find of donkey's years, in the US newspaper The Bridgeport Telegram, 1923:
"With a heavy make-up, you'll be the cutest vamp I've seen in donkey's years."
It is quite likely that donkey's ears was the earlier form and that it originated as rhyming slang, in an allusion to the length of the animal's ears. Donkey's ears/yearsis often shortened just to donkeys. That is characteristic of rhyming slang, as insyrup (of figs) - wig or plates (of meat) - feet.
Donkey's ears works as rhyming slang whereas donkey's years doesn't. In rhyming slang the last word of a short phrase is rhymed with the word that gives the slang meaning; for example, trouble and strife - wife, apples and pears - stairs, etc. It makes little sense for the phrase to have originated in slang form as donkey's years, as that would rhyme 'years' with 'years'.
The migration from donkey's ears to donkey's yearswas no doubt aided by the belief that donkeys live a long time. There's some truth in that. Lively Laddie, a donkey who had lived up to his name for many years while plying his trade on Blackpool Pleasure Beach was, until his death at age 62, a contender for the 'oldest living donkey' title.
Source:
idioms.thefreedictionary.com
urbandictionary.com
phrases.org.uk
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