2006-12-25 21:06:56 · 12 answers · asked by Billybean 7 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
The original saying was ...'as long as a donkey's ears' this was corrupted to 'donkey's years'
2006-12-25 21:12:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
They tend to live longer than horses. Their lifespan can be 30 - 40 years, hence the old term 'donkeys years', as it goes back to the days when donkeys and horses were used for general work.
2006-12-27 05:46:40 · answer #2 · answered by debzc 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The donkey, with a life span longer that a horse,is related to the wild, and is believed to have been domesticated about 5,000 years ago in Egypt.(Donkeys Years Ago).An excellent pack animal..
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2006-12-25 21:27:08 · answer #3 · answered by gerald8018 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as other people have mentioned, donkeys generally do live longer than horses, many horses go on well in to their late 20's & it is not uncommon for a donkey to live in to their 40's. I believe the oldest living horse in the UK until recently (it died!) was 54 years old, which was a fat native pony. Thoroughbreds generally don't live as long as native breeds.
2006-12-28 08:32:10 · answer #4 · answered by ATP 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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". The meaning of the expression is the same, if it does make rather less sense than the original.
2016-03-29 06:53:50 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was definitely donkey's ears, but got changed over the years.
2006-12-27 07:29:23 · answer #6 · answered by india 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah they do live for very long a bout 30-40 years dats why they say donkeys years ago
2006-12-26 05:23:09 · answer #7 · answered by MARIA 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No but they don't have good memories, either. Donkeys years are just a way of saying that you can't remember how long it was.
2006-12-25 21:19:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes. some live up to 40 years
2014-11-24 12:52:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
they live about 20-30 years in average
2006-12-26 10:10:24 · answer #10 · answered by katiemustang 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋