# coon's age

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/coons-age
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A very long time.

## Examples

- I have not seen my old friend in a coon's age.
- This old computer takes a coon's age to start up every morning.
- We wait a coon's age for the bus whenever it rains.
- It has been a coon's age since we last visited this park, and everything looks different now.
- My grandfather finally decided to replace his old truck after driving it for a coon's age.
- The neighbors haven't painted their house in a coon's age, so the wood is starting to rot.
- She realized she hadn't updated her resume in a coon's age and needed to add her new skills.
- The chef finally changed the menu after serving the same three dishes for a coon's age, much to the relief of the regular customers.
- Having lived abroad for a coon's age, he found the rapid modernization of his hometown both fascinating and overwhelming.

## Origin

Recorded as an Americanism in 1843, the expression is likely an adaptation of the older English phrase *in a crow’s age*, which served the same function. The term *coon* functions here as a North American colloquialism for the raccoon, though the etymology remains unproven beyond its probable connection to the earlier avian variant. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.