Seems like a lot of recent topics have involved idioms lately. Today’s subject falls into that category, too. As we’ve discussed in the past, an idiom is a metaphorical figure of speech, and it is understood that it is not a use of literal language.
Anyhow, during one of our 19th hold discussions recently, it was mentioned that one of the group had started his career as a “bean counter.” Everyone knew that he had been an accountant early in his career. The term bean counter has come to (usually) refer to an accountant or someone who focuses on figures, statistics and spreadsheets, rather than the bigger picture. Not only does it simply refer to an accountant, it is usually an insulting term suggesting that the person is obsessed with trivial details.
So how did these people/professions get this reputation and why beans? During my extensive research, I found an interesting story about how the derogatory nickname may have come about. In the 1920s, the marketing and sales-analysis firm The Nielsen Company (now better known for its television ratings system) was just a fledgling operation. The story goes that founder A.C. Nielsen was so diligent in his analysis that his employees counted the beans one by one at grocery stores they were auditing. Makes for an interesting story, but given that the preferred unit of a crop economy is the bushel, not individual grains, seeds, ears, etc. it’s probably not true.
One plausible explanation for the term is that it’s a translation of a German idiom. The German word Erbsenzähler was used as early as the 1660s, and translates as “pea counter.” Erbsenzähler is a term for a nitpicker.
The generally accepted explanation is that beans are a cheap commodity, so to count them is a rather silly thing to do. A “bean counter” is one who nitpicks over small things in order to save costs. The term has also come to describe any soulless individual who cares more about the bottom line than quality.
So it appears that “bean counter” is just another instance where beans have suffered from negative connotations. The phrase “he doesn’t know beans” suggests that someone is clueless, and “it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans,” means that something is meaningless or worthless.
I feel bad for beans — they seem to have gotten a bad rap…. maybe that’s the reason they decided to become the fruit that makes you toot.
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