🕰️ A Long Time: Donkey’s Ears and Timeless Tales 🐴
Ever heard someone say, “I haven’t seen you in donkey’s years!” and wondered just what donkeys have to do with time? Brace yourself for a journey through the labyrinthine alleys of language history to uncover why donkeys and years have become strange bedfellows.
Origin and Meaning:
The origin of “donkey’s years” is mired in delightful debate:
- Rhyming Slang & Pronunciation: Some suggest it’s a playful twist of the tongue where “years” and “ears” rhyme, especially with the Cockney pronunciation.
- Long-Lived Donkeys: Another theory is attributed to the animal’s somewhat lengthy lifespan, making “donkey’s years” synonymous with a long duration.
However, this phrase blossomed into popular usage only during the late 19th century.
Literary Reference 📖:
Edward Lucas offers us a classic example in “The Vermilion Box” (1916): “Now for my first bath for what the men call ‘donkey’s years,’ meaning years and years.”
Synonyms:
- Ages
- Forever and a day
- For eons
- Since the cows came home
- Time immemorial
Proverbs and Expressions with Similar Meaning:
- “Until the cows come home”: Suggesting an indefinite and long span of time.
- “Eons”: Vast time stretches, originally geological periods.
- “A month of Sundays”: An exaggeratedly long time, factoring in how Sundays come once a week.
Witty Quote:
“How many an hour is lost in tracking long-lost time through the donkey’s ears of memory!”
Related Reads and Views 📚🍿:
- Books:
- “The Potluck Club” by Linda Evans Shepherd & Eva Marie Everson; similar light-hearted linguistic journeys.
- “The Dictionary of Clichés” by Christine Ammer; a comprehensive dive into common phrases and sayings.
- Movies:
- “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” – An amusing exploration of how time affects us all!
Thought-Provoking Farewell 💬:
As you navigate the timeline of life, embrace the whimsical, cherish the long-hauls, and always remember: sometimes it takes a donkey’s years to uncover the joy in a moment.
E. L. Elucidator October 2, 2023
