Why Do We Say 'Donkey's Years'? (2024)

FAQs

Why Do We Say 'Donkey's Years'? ›

Answer: It's an old docker's term. When people put things on a ship, they used a crank called a donkey. They were very slow and when they were asked how long it would take, they said “donkey's years”.

Origin: When people put things on ships, they used a crank named a donkey, which was very slow. When asked how long it would take, they would reply, "donkey's years." The phrase “donkey's years,” meaning a long time, originated in the early 20th century, apparently as a pun on the long ears of a donkey.

: a very long time.

When you consider that one donkey year is around three human years that makes them both over 100 years old if they were human!

a very long time: She's been in the same job for donkey's years.

An adult male donkey is a jack or jackass, an adult female is a jenny or jennet, and an immature donkey of either sex is a foal. Jacks are often mated with female horses (mares) to produce mules; the less common hybrid of a male horse (stallion) and jenny is a hinny.

donkey in British English

2. a stupid or stubborn person. 3. British slang, derogatory.

“According to the legend, in reward for the loyal and humble love of the donkey for Jesus, the Lord caused the shadow of the cross to fall across the back of the Jerusalem donkey,” Powell said. “Ever since, the Jerusalem donkey has carried a sign of the love of God for all to see.”

If you say that someone can do something until the cows come home, but it will have no effect, you are emphasizing that it will have no effect even if they do it for a very long time. [informal, emphasis] You can initiate policies until the cows come home, but unless they're monitored, you won't get results.

: to yell at someone or to be very critical of someone especially very suddenly and without a good reason.

Is every human year 7 dog years? ›

As a general guideline, though, the American Veterinary Medical Association breaks it down like this: 15 human years equals the first year of a medium-sized dog's life. Year two for a dog equals about nine years for a human. And after that, each human year would be approximately five years for a dog.

Some species utilize a simple formula that converts their age to human years, which we lay out in the below examples: 3.64 Cow Years = 1 Human Year. 2.29 Deer Years = 1 Human Year. 20 Hamster Years = 1 Human Year.

But why are positive relationships between working donkeys and their owners so important? Donkeys are sentient, social animals who develop strong bonds with the people around them.

The age of horses, donkeys, and mules can be estimated by examining the eruption and wear patterns of the teeth.

To meet market demands, China needs 8–10 million donkey hides per year for cosmetic and medicinal purposes but domestic herds supply only 1.8 million. China's demand for donkey skins has led to the slaughter of donkeys across the globe.

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".

Where and when did the phrase "crossing every T and dotting every I" originate? It's an admonition to school children to write carefully. William Makepeace Thackeray used the expression in a magazine article (Scribner's Magazine, 1849). Up until, say, 35 years ago, “First World humans” used handwriting!