Bean Counter (Noun)
Meaning
An accountant or bureaucrat who is believed to place undue emphasis on the control of expenditures.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The company's bean counter was notorious for vetoing any proposal that didn't involve cutting costs.
- After working with the government agency for years, she became a bean counter, more concerned with paperwork than people.
- He was a bean counter at heart, always lecturing his colleagues on the importance of sticking to the budget.
- The new CEO was a surprise to everyone, a former bean counter who suddenly started pushing for bold investments.
- As the head of finance, she was naturally seen as a bean counter, but she also had a secret love of innovation and experimentation.