Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a clergyman; an overtly religious person; a recluse.

1809

B.H. Malkin (trans.) Adventures of Gil Blas (1822) II 158: Signor don Raphael presented himself to my view, like a phoenix from the ashes of the old bead-counter!

(US) a Roman Catholic, esp. a priest.

[1840		R. Barham ‘Lay of the Old Woman Clothed in Grey’ in Ingoldsby Legends (1842) 264: The cunning old beads-telling son of a gun].
1969		R. Lardner Jr M*A*S*H [TV script] hawkeye: This kid looks like a loser. Maybe we better get the bead-jiggler to put in a fix.
1997		A.H. Litkowiak posting 🌐 The local bead jiggler is getting a bit perturbed by the diesel drums next to the holy water basin. He’s stirring up the locals quite a bit.
1999		(con. 1588) J.G. Elliot Gold of Guadirra Ch. 27: At that moment Richard Bell knew the man he faced had never drowned. It was indeed Irvine who had somehow survived the river and the stone. Irvine who had returned and duped him in the disguise of a Spanish bead mumbler.

(US) a Roman Catholic.

1964

PADS 42 34: The Catholic is identified by multiple responses [...] Roman is found only among Protestants [...] as are bead-puller and [...] statue-lover.

a derog. term for a Roman Catholic.

1998

I. Welsh Filth 322: I don’t think that’s a good idea Brice . . . the bead-twirler tells me.