bean counter

See also: beancounter and bean-counter

English

Alternative forms

• bean-counter

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

bean counter (plural bean counters)

1. (idiomatic, business, mildly derogatory) A person, such as an accountant or financial officer, who is concerned with quantification, especially to the exclusion of other matters.
   • 1985 Aug. 2, "Editorial: Sniffing at DOC health costs," Gainsville Sun, p. 14A (retrieved 13 Sep 2009):

     As any good bean counter will tell you, it costs money to treat people at a hospital.

   • 2008 Dec. 23, Robert Chew, "Who Is Bernie Madoff? Many Investors Didn't Ask," Time (retrieved 13 Sep 2009):

     And, in our case, the accounting firm of Halpern & Mantovani, CPA, in Encino, Calif., Chais' chief bean counter, pumped out the quarterly statements as if it were all rock solid.

Translations

person concerned with quantification

• Russian: счетово́д (ru) m (sčetovód) (coll.: accountant)

• Slovak: ciferšpión m