Synonyms

full of beans

[been] Origin

bean

[been]
noun
1.
the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
2.
a plant producing such seeds.
3.
the pod of such a plant, especially when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
4.
any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.
5.
Slang.
a.
a person's head.
b.
a coin or a bank note considered as a coin: I can't pay for the ticket, I don't have a bean in my jeans.
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6.
British Informal. a minimum amount of money: They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.
7.
beans, Informal. the slightest amount: He doesn't know beans about navigation.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
8.
Slang. to hit on the head, especially with a baseball.

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Full of beans is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
interjection
9.
beans, (used to express disbelief, annoyance, etc.).
10.
full of beans, Informal.
a.
energetic; vigorously active; vital: He is still full of beans at 95.
b.
stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
11.
spill the beans, Informal. to disclose a secret, either accidentally or imprudently, thereby ruining a surprise or plan: He spilled the beans, and she knew all about the party in advance.

Origin:
before 950; Middle English bene, Old English bēan; cognate with Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Dutch boon, Old Saxon, Old High German bona (German Bohne), probably < Germanic *babnō, cognate with Russian bob, Latin faba < European Indo-European *bhabh-

bean·like, adjective

bean, been, Ben, bin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To full of beans
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bean
O.E. bean "bean, pea, legume," from P.Gmc. *bauno (cf. O.N. baun, Ger. bohne), perhaps from a PIE reduplicated base *bha-bha- and related to L. faba "bean." As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c.1300. Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown
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at the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910. Slang bean-counter is first recorded 1975. The notion of lucky or magic beans in English folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth. To not know beans (Amer.Eng. 1933) is perhaps from the "of little worth" sense, but may have a connection to colloquial expression recorded around Somerset, to know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

bean definition


  1. n.
    the head. : I got a bump right here on my bean.
  2. tv.
    to hit someone on the head. (See also beanball.) : The lady beaned me with her umbrella.

  3. Go to beans. :
  4. n.
    a human nipple, especially as seen through clothing. (From the shape.) : Gee, I can see her beans, even when it's not cold!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

full of beans definition


  1. mod.
    full of nonsense; full of hot air. : Oh, be quiet. You're just full of beans.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

full of beans

  1. Lively, energetic, in high spirits, as in The children were full of beans today, looking forward to their field trip. This expression has no valid explanation. [c. 1840]

  2. Also, full of prunes. Acting foolish, talking nonsense, as in One cup of coffee won't hurt youyou're full of prunes. [c. 1930] Also see full of crap.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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