bean counter

American  

[been koun-ter] / ˈbin ˌkaʊn tər /

Or bean-counter

noun

Sometimes Disparaging.

1. an accountant or other financial officer, often one placing undue importance on spending, financial accountability, and profit, or anyone regarded as having a reductively quantitative focus.

   If it were up to the bean counters, this company would never take risks or innovate.

---

bean-counter British  

noun

1. informal an accountant

---

Etymology

Origin of bean counter

An Americanism first recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Mr. Glassman might be an effective bean counter, but that is not nearly enough to justify his having a seat on the Maryland Board of Public Works.

From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2022

Why not name it for an astronomer, the way other space missions — Hubble, Kepler — have been, instead of a bean counter?

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2021

It would not bother me in the least to give my niece the higher amount, because I’m not a bean counter.

From Slate • May 26, 2021

There no bean counter with a backbone stiff enough to hold the reins.

From Washington Times • May 23, 2019

A Louisville native, he earned degrees in finance and accounting at Western Kentucky University and wanted nothing more than to be a bean counter.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2017