beaner n
1 An outstanding specimen of its type, a “humdinger.” chiefly Upper MW, WI old-fash
1899 Eve. Democrat (Martinsville IN) 21 July [3]/1 (newspaperarchive.com), Louie is the old cook, and no king could have his food prepared in better form. “He is a beaner.” 1907 Aberdeen Daily Amer. (SD) 20 June 3/5, Excitement was at a high pitch throughout the game, which was a “beaner.” 1911 DN 3.541 NE, Beaner. . . Term of appreciation, or compliment; equivalent to fine or excellent. “That new dress is a beaner,” “That story is a beaner.” 1916 Duluth News Tribune (MN) 12 Sept 2/4, The production is a “beaner.” It will be repeated tonight. 1924 Capital Times (Madison WI) 15 Aug [8]/6 (newspaperarchive.com), Kleinheinz cracked out a homer in the fifth that was a beaner. It cleared the wall with plenty to spare. 1945 Waterloo Daily Courier (IA) 19 Sept 13/3, [Advt:] It’s A “Beaner”—No question about it, must sacrifice this lovely home. 1968 Fergus Falls Daily Jrl. (MN) 17 Dec 12/7, [Advt:] For the finest in Stereophonic Reproduction it’s Sony—6 speakers AMFM radio (Alma says, “It’s a beaner!”). 1978 Doig This House 183 MT (as of c1955), It’ll be a beaner if I can get ’er harvested in this christly weather.
2 A slingshot. seNY Cf beany n, bean-flipper n, bean-shooter n, bean-snapper n
1904 Logansport Daily Reporter (IN) 3 Aug [4]/4 (newspaperarchive.com) Long Is. NY, I thought I’d bust though, when Herb, here, said Goliath pumped a load from a beaner at David. Herb always gets things upside down. 1934 Times Herald (Olean NY) 12 Apr 18/2 NYC, New York’s juvenile jargon, too, differs from that of the outland. A sling-shot is a beaner.
3 also attrib; also bean, bean eater, beano: A person of Mexican origin. formerly SW, now more widespread derog
1919 DN 5.63 NM, Bean-eater, a name given to the low class Mexicans. “That row of adobes is filled with bean-eaters.” 1944 Adams Western Words, Bean-eater—A nickname for a Mexican. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. N5) Inf CA177, Beaner wagon—because beaners, i.e., Mexicans, drive them; (Qu. W42a) Inf CA183, Beaner shoes—Mexican; (Qu. HH28) Inf CA14, Beans; CA169, 177, 183, 190, Beaner; CA8, Beano; (Qu. II25) Inf CA161, Bean eaters. A newspaper columnist of our town [=Red Bluff] once referred to the division of the artichoke eaters and [the] bean eaters. c1971 Hall Snake River Valley 1 inf, swID, Beano. 1974 DARE File cWI [Among students], Beaner: Mexican migrant worker. Beaner wagon: The kind of car the Mexican migrant workers drive. 1980 Walla Walla Union–Bulletin (WA) 7 May 2/3, I think everybody’s got a little hand in it. Who’s to blame when five white kids call a Mexican a ‘spic’ or a ‘beaner?’ 1995 Hutchinson News (KS) 20 Aug 15/2, The teacher asked me why I did that and I said he called me a beaner baby so I didn’t get in trouble ’cause he was saying racial slurs. 2007 DARE File swOH, “Brown as a beaner.” This is heard pretty commonly around here (Cincinnati area) in reference to people from Mexico. It is not complimentary. Ibid NV, I grew up in Nevada where ‘beaner’ was very common to me