old bean

noun

An old friend; an old chap or fellow.

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Meanings

nounold bean (plural old beans)

plural old beans

  1. UKdatedslangsometimesterm of addressAn 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
    1 more example

    […] 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

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
friendold fruitold mansweetheart

Origin

Possibly from playful mid-word substitution of "boy" in "old boy"

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

old bean. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20bean

MLA

“old bean.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20bean. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “old bean,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20bean.

Source: old bean on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.