Cool beans
posted by admin in Uncategorized“Cool beans” is a curious phrase that uses nonsense to bring humor into a joyful exclamation. It originated in American pop culture during the late 1960s. Slang of this time is known to center around illogical phrasings of words, and “cool beans” is among the most durable lengthy late 60’s era terms.Tom Dalzell “Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang”(New York: Meriam-Webster 1996; ISBN 978-0877796121).. It is used when referring to something with a positive connotation, for example, “That party was cool beans.” Much like other hip slang words “cool beans” has faded with the times.
Common variants of the phrase include “kewl beans,” “kool beans,” and “kewl beanz.”
Development of usage
“Cool beans” took on a different approach giving a playful tone to the contrast in words. The association of the adjective “cool” with the noun “beans” developed a duality making a phrase that was humorous and light-hearted. J.E. Lightner “Historical dictionary of American Slang (Vol 2)”(New York: Random House Publishing 2007; ISBN 978-0195174182).
Usage In Movies
There is a protracted use of the phrase in the 2007 movie Hot Rod.
The phrase is also used in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” by the only surviving member of a German radar outpost. The character, known only as Steamboat Willie (Joerg Stadler) because of this scene, uses the phrase in an attempt to help the American soldiers understand he has some sense of American culture. The use of the phrase “cool beans” in this World War II era movie leads some to believe the phrase has been around much longer than others may suspect. There are many who believe it originated in the late 1960’s.
The phrase was also recently used in the 2007 movie HotRod, in which the two brothers Rod and Kevin forgive each other by using the phrase cool beans. They repeat those words turning it into a kind of rythmic loop.
References
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