bean counter
A person who is excessively interested in controlling or reducing expenses, increasing profits, or in quantitative details in general.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The bean counter rejected our small office party.”
“A bean counter checks every single line of the monthly phone bill.”
“Our new manager is a real bean counter who questions every coffee purchase.”
“The lead architect worried that a bean counter would replace the high-quality wood with cheaper materials to save money on the project.”
“If we want to hire more staff, we must first convince the bean counter that the extra cost is worth the investment.”
“The creative team groaned when the bean counter from finance slashed their travel budget, insisting every receipt be justified.”
disputed origin
The term is probably a calque of the German Erbsenzähler, which translates literally as pea counter. It suggests a person whose meticulousness is directed toward the smallest and least consequential of legumes. The English variation appears to have substituted the bean for the pea while retaining the original implication of a clerk preoccupied with trivialities.
- 01
for beans
Synonym of at all.
- 02
full of beans
Energetic and enthusiastic.
- 03
give someone beans
To scold or reprimand someone severely.
- 04
know beans about
To know nothing, or almost nothing, about.
- 05
rivet counter
A person who has an obsession with the minutiae of their particular interest, especially in military and technology history. Anyone preoccupied with small distinguishing features between different items.
- 06
spill the beans
To reveal a secret; to disclose information.
Last updated August 10, 2026