"donkey's years" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "donkey's ears"
      },
      "expansion": "donkey's ears",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "years"
      },
      "expansion": "years",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "1876 or earlier. Possibly chosen because donkeys can be long-lived animals. Despite the similarity, pre-dates and likely not directly related to donkey's ears, a less frequently used rhyming slang term for years.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p",
        "head": "donkey's years"
      },
      "expansion": "donkey's years pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Australian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English pluralia tantum",
          "parents": [
            "Pluralia tantum",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Irish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1876, The Salisbury Times",
          "text": "Didn't you ask him how long it had been in his possession?\nI can't recollect that. I might have done so.\nDidn't he say for years and years and donkey's years?"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1923, The Bridgeport Telegram",
          "text": "With a heavy make-up, you’ll be the cutest vamp I’ve seen in donkey’s years.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A long time, years and years."
      ],
      "id": "en-donkey's_years-en-noun-VObR5FFR",
      "links": [
        [
          "years and years",
          "years and years"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, Ireland, Australia, idiomatic) A long time, years and years."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "donkeys' years"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "British",
        "Ireland",
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "rhyming slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-donkey's years.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/29/En-au-donkey%27s_years.ogg/En-au-donkey%27s_years.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/En-au-donkey%27s_years.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "donkey's years"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "donkey's ears"
      },
      "expansion": "donkey's ears",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "years"
      },
      "expansion": "years",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "1876 or earlier. Possibly chosen because donkeys can be long-lived animals. Despite the similarity, pre-dates and likely not directly related to donkey's ears, a less frequently used rhyming slang term for years.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p",
        "head": "donkey's years"
      },
      "expansion": "donkey's years pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Australian English",
        "British English",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English pluralia tantum",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Irish English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1876, The Salisbury Times",
          "text": "Didn't you ask him how long it had been in his possession?\nI can't recollect that. I might have done so.\nDidn't he say for years and years and donkey's years?"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1923, The Bridgeport Telegram",
          "text": "With a heavy make-up, you’ll be the cutest vamp I’ve seen in donkey’s years.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A long time, years and years."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "years and years",
          "years and years"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, Ireland, Australia, idiomatic) A long time, years and years."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "British",
        "Ireland",
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "rhyming slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-donkey's years.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/29/En-au-donkey%27s_years.ogg/En-au-donkey%27s_years.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/En-au-donkey%27s_years.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "donkeys' years"
    }
  ],
  "word": "donkey's years"
}