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Bean counter

Posted by Fred on May 13, 2003

In Reply to: Bean counter posted by Shirley Vander Vorste on May 13, 2003

: Where did the phrase "bean counter" come from and what is it's exact meaning?

A bean counter considers only quantities when
qualities should be considered. Suppose an
editor of a newspaper gives pay raises to staff
members on the basis of the number
of articles written rather than the quality of
the articles. The editor is a bean counter.

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