full of beans

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full of beans

1. Nonsensical. His explanation is totally full of beans and doesn't answer the question at all.

2. Very active and energetic. Whenever my daughter is full of beans like this, I have her go run around in our back yard for a few hours.

See also: bean, full, of

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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 you-you're full of prunes. [c. 1930] Also see full of crap.

See also: bean, full, of

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

full of beans

If you are full of beans, you are very happy and energetic. Jem was among them, pink-cheeked and full of beans after his long sleep. He's a likable extrovert, full of beans. Note: This originally referred to a horse that was well-fed and therefore full of energy.

See also: bean, full, of

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

full of beans

lively; in high spirits. informal

This phrase was originally used by people who work with horses, and referred to the good condition of a horse fed on beans.

See also: bean, full, of

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

full of ˈbeans

very lively, active and healthy: Ray is certainly full of beans again after his illness.This phrase was originally used to talk about horses that were fed on beans.

See also: bean, full, of

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

full of beans

mod. full of nonsense; full of hot air. Oh, be quiet. You’re just full of beans.

See also: bean, full, of

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

full of beans

1. Energetic; frisky: The children were too full of beans to sit still.

2. Badly mistaken: Don't believe him; he's full of beans.

See also: bean, full, of

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

full of beans

Lively, high-spirited. The earliest appearance of this expression is in Robert Smith Surtees’s Handley Cross (1843), a continuation of the adventures of a sporting grocer, John Jorrocks (“Ounds, ’osses and men are in a glorious state of excitement! Full o’ beans and benevolence!”). A slang dictionary of 1874 defined the term to mean arrogant and offensive concerning one’s newfound prosperity (nouveau riche snobbery) and held that it came from stable slang. It was so used for a time in the late nineteenth century, but then was superseded by the earlier (and present) meaning, which survives in the cliché.

See also: bean, full, of

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer