cook the books
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“In February, I said Maryland was trying to cook the books to get the FBI headquarters relocated to their state,” Connolly said in a statement.
From Slate • Jul. 17, 2023
But you can "cook the books", according to Mr Zhou, if your movie is hiring international actors or even set and costume designers.
From BBC • Aug. 30, 2018
So the first thing you had to learn was to cook the books, adding the odd percentage point here and there until they made sense.
From The Guardian • Jun. 8, 2016
“If they’re looking for someone who is going to cook the books, that’s a real problem.”
From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2014
Nothing at all, if you cook the books.'
From Menotah A Tale of the Riel Rebellion by Henham, Ernest G.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
