Meanings
noundonkey's ears pl (plural only)
- UKidiomaticpluralplural onlyA long time, years and years.
Now for my first bath for what the men call ‘Donkey’s ears’, meaning years and years.
1916, E. V. Lucas, The Vermilion Box - pluralplural onlyslanggovernmentA pair of scissor binoculars.
Synonyms: ages, donkey's years, years and years, yonks
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA pair of scissor binoculars.
Similar
Origin
1916 UK, from British rhyming slang, rhyming with years, due to donkey’s ears being long.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
donkey's ears. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/donkey's%20ears
MLA
“donkey's ears.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/donkey's%20ears. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “donkey's ears,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/donkey's%20ears.
Source: donkey's ears on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.