释义 |
donkey
don·key D0337800 (dŏng′kē, dông′-)n. pl. don·keys 1. The domesticated ass (Equus asinus), having long ears and a loud bray.2. Slang An obstinate person.3. Slang A stupid person. [Perhaps from the name Duncan or of imitative origin.]donkey (ˈdɒŋkɪ) n1. (Animals) Also called: ass a long-eared domesticated member of the horse family (Equidae), descended from the African wild ass (Equus asinus)2. a stupid or stubborn person3. (Soccer) slang derogatory Brit a footballer known for his or her lack of skill: the players are a bunch of overpriced and overrated donkeys. 4. talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey to talk endlessly[C18: perhaps from dun dark + -key, as in monkey]don•key (ˈdɒŋ ki, ˈdɔŋ-, ˈdʌŋ-) n., pl. -keys, adj. n. 1. a domesticated ass, Equus asinus. 2. a stupid, silly, or obstinate person. adj. 3. auxiliary: donkey engine; donkey pump. [1775–85; perhaps alter. of Dunkey, hypocoristic form of Duncan, man's name] ThesaurusNoun | 1. | donkey - the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874allegory, emblem - a visible symbol representing an abstract idea | | 2. | donkey - domestic beast of burden descended from the African wild ass; patient but stubborndomestic ass, Equus asinusEquus, genus Equus - type genus of the Equidae: only surviving genus of the family Equidaeass - hardy and sure-footed animal smaller and with longer ears than the horseburro - small donkey used as a pack animalmoke - British informal for donkey |
donkeynoun ass, mule, jackass, neddy strange creatures including a wild donkeydonkey's years (Informal) a long time, years, ages, for ever (informal), yonks (informal), an age or eternity I made them last for donkey's years.Related words male jack female jennyTranslationsdonkey (ˈdoŋki) noun1. a domesticated animal with long ears related to the horse but smaller. 驢 驴2. a stupid person. Don't be such a donkey! 笨蛋 笨蛋ˈdonkey-work noun hard, uninteresting work. We have a computer now, which saves us a lot of donkey-work. 單調乏味的工作 单调乏味的工作donkey's years/ages a very long time. It's donkey's years since I was last there. 很久,多年 很久,多年 donkey
in donkeysIn an exceptionally long period of time. The phrase likely originated as the rhyming slang, shortened to simply "donkeys," of "donkey's ears" —where "ears" rhymes with "years" and alludes to the length of a donkey's ears. I haven't seen Jim in donkeys! How's he doing these days?See also: donkeydonkey's earsAn exceptionally long period of time. The phrase likely originated as rhyming slang, where "ears" rhymes with "years" and alludes to the length of a donkey's ears. Throughout time, it became more popularized as "donkey's years." I haven't seen Jim in donkey's ears! How's he doing these days? It's been donkey's ears since we last got together like this.See also: earthe straw that breaks the donkey's backA seemingly small or inconsequential issue, problem, or burden that proves to be the final catalyst in causing an overworked or overburdened person, system, organization, etc., to fail, give up, or collapse. (A less common variant of "the straw that breaks the camel's back.") I'm already fed up with your lazy, selfish behavior, Jim, but if you can't be bothered to come with me to my own mother's funeral, that will be the straw that breaks the donkey's back! With governmental resources already strained to the breaking point, any sort of environmental disaster would be the straw that breaks the donkey's back.See also: back, break, straw, thatthe straw that broke the donkey's backA seemingly small or inconsequential issue, problem, or burden that proves to be the final catalyst in causing an overworked or overburdened person, system, organization, etc., to fail, give up, or collapse. (A less common variant of "the straw that broke the camel's back.") I was already fed up with my husband's lazy, selfish ways, but it was his refusal to get off the couch and come with me to my mother's funeral that was the straw that broke the donkey's back! With governmental resources already strained to the breaking point, any sort of environmental disaster would likely be the straw that broke the donkey's back.See also: back, broke, straw, thatsuck donkey ballsvulgar slang To be remarkably bad, unpleasant, disappointing, or upsetting. Well, that movie sucked donkey balls. I wish I could get my money back! Yeah, I heard that class sucks donkey balls, so I'm taking an Intro to Chemistry course instead.See also: ball, donkey, suckcan talk the hind leg(s) off a donkeyIs very (perhaps overly) talkative. Don't start a conversation with Stu if you want to leave on time tonight—that guy can talk the hind leg off a donkey.See also: can, donkey, hind, off, talkdonkey workDifficult and tedious work. Oh, don't worry, we can get our interns to do this donkey work for us.See also: donkey, workdonkey's yearsA long time. I haven't been here in donkey's years—I can't believe how much the town has changed.See also: yeardo the donkey workTo do difficult and tedious work. Primarily heard in UK. Oh, don't worry, we can get our interns to do the donkey work for us.See also: donkey, workfor donkey's yearsFor a long time. I haven't been here for donkey's years—I can't believe how much the town has changed.See also: yeartalk the hind leg(s) off a donkeyTo talk endlessly and exhaustingly. I love my Aunt Lily, but she'd talk the hind legs off a donkey if you let her!See also: donkey, hind, off, talkdonkey's breakfast1. A mattress filled with straw. This term was commonly used by sailors. There's nothing I can sleep on—not even a donkey's breakfast?2. A straw hat. Hand me my donkey's breakfast, will you? It's awfully sunny out today.See also: breakfastdonkey's yearsA long time, as in I haven't seen her in donkey's years. This expression punningly alludes to the considerable length of the animal's ears. [Early 1900s] See also: yeartalk someone's arm offAlso, talk someone's ear or head or pants off ; talk a blue streak; talk until one is blue in the face; talk the bark off a tree or the hind leg off a donkey or horse . Talk so much as to exhaust the listener, as in Whenever I run into her she talks my arm off, or Louise was so excited that she talked a blue streak, or You can talk the bark off a tree but you still won't convince me. The first four expressions imply that one is so bored by a person's loquacity that one's arm (or ear or head or pants) fall off; they date from the first half of the 1900s (also see pants off). The term like a blue streak alone simply means "very quickly," but in this idiom, first recorded in 1914, it means "continuously." The obvious hyperboles implying talk that takes the bark off a tree, first recorded in 1831, or the hind leg off a horse, from 1808, are heard less often today. Also see under blue in the face. See also: arm, off, talkdonkey's years BRITISH, INFORMALIf something lasts or has been happening for donkey's years, it lasts or has been happening for a very long time. I've been a vegetarian for donkey's years. He owns some old iron mines that haven't been used in donkey's years. Note: This expression was originally `as long as donkey's ears', which are very long. The change to `donkey's years' may have come about partly because the expression is used to talk about time, and partly because the original form is difficult to say clearly. See also: yeardo the donkey work BRITISHIf you do the donkey work, you do the most physically tiring or boring parts of a job or piece of work. The bottom lot were the mechanics who did the sheer physical donkey work. We've been very fortunate getting a succession of secretaries who've managed to do the donkey work.See also: donkey, worktalk the hind leg off a donkey BRITISHIf you say that someone could talk the hind leg off a donkey, you mean that they talk a lot. You won't be short of conversation with Adrian. He could talk the hind leg off a donkey.See also: donkey, hind, leg, off, talkdonkey work the boring or laborious part of a job; drudgery. 2005 The Register I get the Systems guys to do all the donkey work once I'm sure it's up and running properly. See also: donkey, workfor donkey's years for a very long time. informal For donkey's years is a pun referring to the length of a donkey's ears and playing on a former pronunciation of years as ears . 1998 Ardal O'Hanlon The Talk of the Town He'll be no loss, that's for sure. Sure his own family haven't spoken to him for donkey's years. See also: yeartalk the hind leg off a donkey talk incessantly. British informal In 1808 talking a horse's hind leg off was described as an ‘old vulgar hyperbole’ in Cobbett's Weekly Political Register , but the version with donkey was current by the mid 19th century. In 1879 Anthony Trollope mentioned talk the hind legs off a dog as an Australian variant. 1970 Nina Bawden The Birds on the Trees Talk, talk—talk the hind leg off a donkey, that one. See also: donkey, hind, leg, off, talkthe ˈdonkey work (informal) the hard, boring parts of a job: Why is it always me who has to do the donkey work?See also: donkey, workˈdonkey’s years (British English, informal) a very long time: She’s lived in that house for donkey’s years.This is a play on words between ‘years’ and ‘ears’, the joke being that donkeys have long ears.See also: yeartalk the hind leg(s) off a ˈdonkey (informal, humorous) (usually used with can or could) talk for a long time: He would make a good politician — he could talk the hind legs off a donkey!See also: donkey, hind, leg, off, talkdonkey’s breakfast n. something made of straw: a straw hat, a straw mattress, etc. The tourist was wearing a red dress and had a donkey’s breakfast on her head. See also: breakfastdonkey’s years n. a long time. (From British colloquial.) I haven’t seen you in donkey’s years. See also: yeardonkey's yearsA long time. The origin here is disputed. Some say it is a rhyming term for donkey’s ears, which are quite long, and possibly also a punning allusion to the Cockney pronunciation of “years” as “ears”; others believe it alludes to donkeys being quite long-lived. The expression dates only from the late nineteenth century. Edward Lucas used it in The Vermilion Box (1916): “Now for my first bath for what the men call ‘donkey’s years,’ meaning years and years.”See also: yeardonkey
donkey: see assass, hoofed, herbivorous mammal of the genus Equus, closely related to the horse. It is distinguished from the horse by its small size, large head, long ears, and small hooves. There are three living species: Equus hemonius, the Asian wild ass; E. ..... Click the link for more information. .donkey[′dəŋ·kē] (mining engineering) barney (vertebrate zoology) A domestic ass (Equus asinus); a perissodactyl mammal in the family Equidae. donkeychooses cuckoo’s singing over nightingale’s. [Ger. Folk-lore and Poetry: Brentano and Arnim, Des Knaben Wunderhorn; NCE, 363]See: Stupiditydonkey1. a long-eared domesticated member of the horse family (Equidae), descended from the African wild ass (Equus asinus) 2. Brit slang, derogatory a footballer known for his or her lack of skill Donkey (dreams)Dreaming about this interesting and amusing animal may have several different and opposing interpretations. Therefore, it is very important that you pay attention to the details and the emotional tone of the dream. A donkey may represent humility, honor, and “royalty” in disguise. On the opposite end of things, it may symbolize stubbornness and an unyielding personality. Also, it may represent a person who has many burdens and carries a “heavy load.” Either way, the individual symbolized by the donkey has redeeming qualities that include ruggedness, endurance, and loyalty.MedicalSeeASSdonkey Related to donkey: zebraSynonyms for donkeynoun assSynonymsphrase donkey's yearsSynonyms- a long time
- years
- ages
- for ever
- yonks
- an age or eternity
Synonyms for donkeynoun the symbol of the Democratic PartyRelated Wordsnoun domestic beast of burden descended from the African wild assSynonymsRelated Words- Equus
- genus Equus
- ass
- burro
- moke
|