Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of climbing bean plant (Phaseolus coccineus) native to tropical America, known for its red flowers and mottled black seeds. It is a perennial plant and a popular food bean in Great Britain.
   • The long, green, edible pod of this plant, which is typically sliced into short lengths for cooking.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • We grow runner beans up a trellis in the vegetable garden.
  • For dinner, we had roast chicken with boiled runner beans and potatoes.
  • The bright red flowers of the runner bean attract many pollinators.

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in British English. In American English, the pods are more commonly referred to simply as "green beans" or "string beans," though the specific plant variety may be called "scarlet runner bean."
• "To grow like a runner bean": An informal British expression meaning to grow very tall and quickly, often used for children.
  • Your son has grown like a runner bean this summer!

Variants and Related Words

• Scarlet runner bean: The full name for the plant, emphasizing its red flowers.
• String bean (chiefly US): A general term for similar long, green bean pods, though not always from the plant.
• Green bean (chiefly US): A general term for the unripe fruit of various beans, consumed with the pod.

Synonyms

• (For the pod) Green bean, string bean.

Related Idioms

• "Full of beans": While not exclusive to runner beans, this idiom meaning energetic or lively uses "beans" in a general sense.
  • The children were full of beans after playing outside.

Noun

1. long bean pods usually sliced into half-inch lengths; a favorite in Britain
2. tropical American bean with red flowers and mottled black beans similar to Phaseolus vulgaris but perennial; a preferred food bean in Great Britain