Donkey's years

[racheltje]

Can anybody please tell me where the expression donkey's years comes from?

Thank you

[SeaJayPea]

Apparently there was a traditional belief that you never see a dead donkey, and that therefore they must live for ages. Hence not for donkeys' years means not for a very long time. Simple as that.

This comes from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.

[jno]

in slang, donkey's years becomes yonkeys dears, which shortens to yonks.

[Quizmonster]

Donkey's ears. Click here for the answer as provided by Michael Quinion, a noted etymologist and lexicographer. He worked on The Oxford English Dictionary - the 'bible' of English words - so if he doesn't know, no-one does.