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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread bean counter #155483 02/11/2006 2:43 AM Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 1 Bhaskar stranger Bhaskar stranger Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 1 Hi Friends, I was wondering about the origin of the word bean counter referring to the Accountants. Has it got anything to the Abacus? Shall be grateful for your reply. Yours L Bhaskar Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: bean counter #155484 02/11/2006 10:16 AM Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Marion NC TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Marion NC It has to do with the idea that accountants are too detail oriented, and is meant pejoratively. When a person buys a 100-pound bag of soybeans, only an accountant would want to count all the beans to see how many there really are in the sack. TEd Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: bean counter #155485 02/11/2006 11:00 AM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont I always thought they should be called legumaticians. welcome, Bhaskar! formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: bean counter #155486 02/11/2006 3:06 PM Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,379 New York City inselpeter Pooh-Bah inselpeter Pooh-Bah Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,379 New York City legumatician I like it Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,916 Posts230,380 Members9,211 Most Online7,006 Mar 7th, 2026 Newest Members Boo boo kitty fu, peterreineck, Peripatetic Toad, JerryC, blvd 9,211 Registered Users Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 38 A C Bowden 17 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 11,206 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,974 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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