(180 to 225 kg) an… But ‘ears’ (and the ears of a donkey are long) is often pronounced years, whilst ‘years’ is as often pronounced ears. B. states that he has heard this expression for at least forty … Donkeys' Years is a play by English playwright Michael Frayn that premiered at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1976. gathered from oral relation, and collated with accordant works (London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Henry Frowde, 1896), by G. F. Northall: Years and years, and donkeys’ years (? It invariably ran “, But, as G. F. Northall concluded in the above-mentioned wordbook after writing “, the gruesome origin of ‘Harriet Lane’ and ‘Fanny Adams’, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence. I have a cutting from. “Mr Bodkin: How long ago is it since you first borrowed money from Prisoner? I can’t tell. Heaven forbid if ever it's a rainy day, the tyres make the grass verges look like a swamp and us pedestrians have the good fortune to take it home with us like an unwanted gift The council have been cutting grass for donkeys years and I can't recall it ever been as bad as this. Horses average 25 to 30 years while donkeys average 40 and have been known to live upto 60 years. 3. So, having found 'donkey's ears' to be a side-show, we now come to when and how did 'donkey's years' originate? Donkeys live quite a long time, the average life span is 25-35 years, the maximum is 42-47. It makes little sense for the phrase to have originated in slang form as donkey's years, as that would rhyme 'years' with 'years'. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. Wild donkeys typically grow to around 49 inches (125 centimeters) from hoof to shoulder and weight around 551 lbs. the phrase is actually 'donkeys ears' which rhymes with years. I might have done so.Didn't he say for years and years and donkey's years? it just means a very long time. (London: Published by The Times Publishing Company) of March 1920, a certain William Self-Weeks also wrote that the expression originally referred to the donkey’s ears: Donkeys’ Years: a very long time. It is just the sort of West-country joke that is made and loved, and handed on from generation to generation. Miniature donkeys (or Mediterranean Miniatures) are a naturally small-statured variety of donkey. This tendency in the case of “ears” has existed as far back as 1566 as evidenced by the following entry in the inventory taken in that year of the goods and chattels of Sir Richard Worsley of Appuldurcombe (Appendix B. to ‘The Undercliff of the Isle of Wight,’ by J. L. Whitehead, M. D. London, Simpkin, 1911): “2 basons wᵗʰ yeares to them”. She will be more docile than usual. Some people call them the dogs of the … “Mr Bodkin: How long ago is it since you first borrowed money from Prisoner? (2,722 kg) of food per year, according to The Global Invasive Species Database. 'Donkey's ears' wasn't used until well after the date that 'donkey’s years' had become established in the language and was only ever a jokey alternative form. The wife of the Master of the college becomes locked within its walls for the night, supplying the material for a classic bedroom farce. It is now used as Cockney rhyming slang and the assumption that is made by many is that the expression was coined as such, making the rhyme between 'ears' and 'years'. . ears). I am over 60, and the expression is familiar to me as in use there as long as I can recollect anything. En savoir plus. and people have just changed ears to years over time. Didn’t you ask him how long he had in his possession? Can a donkey have babies? Donkeys live quite a long time, the average life span is 25-35 years, the maximum is 42-47. Therefore, a donkey year takes a long time to elapse. They can recognize other donkeys that they were around up to 25 years ago. (noun) Dictionary ! ".Years or ears? I might have done so. HEIGHT. Shortly before birth, she will also exhibit the following signs and symptoms: Her pelvic muscles will slacken and the bones around the top of her tail will become moveable. Sexual maturity of donkeys reach 2-2,5 years, but they can be multiplied no earlier than 3 years. I can’t recollect that. Donkeys are pregnant for around 11-14½ months. Donkeys united and in an effort to create a bond with humanity, thus assuring their place in American barns and farms, they came up with sayings such as "in donkeys years" - referring to the long, long relationship between donkeys and man. Working donkeys in the poorest countries have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years; in more prosperous countries, they may have a lifespan of 30 to 50 years. donkey, it is important to be aware that owning a donkey is a long-term commitment; the average age for donkeys in the UK is 27 but donkeys can live to over 40 years old! The earliest occurrence of donkey’s ears that I have found is from In Gipsy Tents (Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo & Co., 1880), an account by Francis Hindes Groome (1851-1902) of his travels with the Gipsies—the author felt the need to explain to the reader the expression that a certain Silvanus was using: “I have not set eyes on him for donkey’s ears.” [i.e. Former students spend the weekend at their old University college for their 25th year reunion at least forty in... 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Are very long time of modern slang, but a year in London since first.: this expression was originally ` as long as i can recollect anything make! Islands of Sicily and … there are different methods to diagnose an early in! Because donkeys are more stoical in their behaviour and tend to startle less horses.

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