string-bean

A gardener picks a fresh string-bean from the vine.

Definition

1. Noun (countable):
   • A type of green bean: "string-bean" refers to a long, thin, edible pod of a bean plant, typically eaten as a vegetable. The name comes from the fibrous "string" along the seam of the pod that is often removed before cooking.
   • A tall, thin person (informal, figurative): "string-bean" is also used as a metaphor for a person who is very tall and slender, suggesting a bean-like shape.

Usage Examples

• Literal (vegetable):

  • She added fresh string-beans to the salad for extra crunch. (She used long, green bean pods as an ingredient.)

• Figurative (person):

  • He's such a string-bean; he can eat anything without gaining weight. (He is very tall and thin.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a string-bean": an idiomatic expression meaning to be very thin, often used humorously or affectionately.
  • At sixteen, he was a string-bean, but he filled out in his twenties. (He was very thin as a teenager.)

Variants and Related Words

• String bean (n): the same as "string-bean", often written as two words.
  • The recipe calls for fresh string beans, not canned ones. (The same vegetable.)
• String-bean-like (adj): resembling a string-bean in shape or appearance.
  • His string-bean-like figure made him perfect for the basketball team. (His tall, thin build.)

Synonyms

• Green bean: the common name for the vegetable.
  • She prefers green beans over broccoli. (A synonym for the pod.)
• Snap bean: another name for the same vegetable, emphasizing the sound when broken.
  • Snap beans are easy to prepare. (A synonym.)
• Lanky (adj, for a person): tall and thin in an awkward way.
  • The lanky boy towered over his classmates. (Similar to "string-bean" for a person.)

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• "Tall as a string-bean": a simile describing someone very tall and thin.
  • He grew as tall as a string-bean during his teenage years. (He became very tall and thin.)