old bean en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Possibly from playful mid-word substitution of "boy" in "old boy"
Meanings
-
(UK, dated, slang, sometimes, term-of-address) An old friend; an old chap or fellow.
When this here old Bean told me, you could have knocked me down with a feather.
1905, H. G. Wells, Kipps, vi. §4:[…] it is really an uncommon piece of exaggerative imagination which we find in the description of this old bean's elaborate costume, with its pads, straps, strings […]
1876, The Atlantic Monthly, volume 37, page 238:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| old beans | Number=Plur | lexicographic |