# bean counter

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bean-counter
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person who is excessively interested in controlling or reducing expenses, increasing profits, or in quantitative details in general.

## Examples

- 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.

## 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. (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.