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
At age 63, he was convicted of securities fraud, conspiracy and filing false reports with regulators, after his former chief financial officer testified that Mr. Ebbers directed him to cook the books.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2020
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
Nothing at all, if you cook the books.'
From Menotah A Tale of the Riel Rebellion by Ernest G. Henham
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.
