magic beans
Traded for cow
Magic beans are worthless items sold with false promises of extraordinary returns—from the fairy tale where Jack trades the family cow for beans that supposedly grow into a beanstalk reaching the sky.
The phrase typically appears in skeptical contexts: If you believe that crypto scheme will make you rich, I've got some magic beans to sell you.
Unlike the fairy tale, real-world magic beans never pay off.
- beanstalkLegume plant's stem
- giantBeing of huge size
- JackMale court card
- goldenBright yellow, or precious
- golden eggsFabled source of wealth
goose · harp · climb · fairy tale · enchanted · fairy godmother · sprout · seeds · castle · clouds · cow · trade · wish · happily ever after · grow · vine · treasure · old woman
- magical substancesmana, ichor, ambrosia, nectar, ether
- pantomimedame, pantomime dame, pantomime horse, principal boy, ugly sisters
- plant folkloreherbal lore, folk remedies, sacred herbs, tree spirits, nature spirits
- Jack and the BeanstalkJack, giant, beanstalk, golden eggs, golden harp
- storybook foodsporridge, gingerbread, green eggs, chocolate factory, stone soup
- Magical Plantsmandrake, gillyweed, knotgrass, moly, enchanted rose
magic beanshard currency
Physical money, not digital
gold coins · real money · fair market value · liquid assets · blue-chip stocks
magic beanssnake oil
Fraudulent cure-all
cold hard cash · real money · fool's gold · empty promises · fair trade goods
magic, beans, magical, magically, magician, mage, bean, beaned, beaning