proverb · Words worth keeping
For donkey’s ages.
For donkey’s ages.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The phrase uses donkey’s ages to emphasise a very long time. It gives duration an exaggerated animal-associated form.
What the words are saying
The supplied gloss supports the long-duration reading, but the words provide no measured period or origin. A useful application can recognise an informal emphasis rather than treat the phrase as an actual animal lifespan or a calendar calculation.
Everyday example
A speaker says they have known a place for donkey’s ages without intending a precise number of years.
When to use it
Use it to explain informal emphasis on long duration.
What it does not mean
No exact duration, animal lifespan or origin is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 292; PDF page 45
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.