cook the books

Idioms  

1. Falsify a company's financial records, as in An independent audit showed that they've been cooking the books for years. This slangy phrase was first recorded in 1636.

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Example Sentences

"They agreed to cook the books."

From Salon

“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

It said that, while the practice was not widespread, some shops had received a "supply of promotional records" and "other unrelated material" in an effort to persuade owners to cook the books; and recommended that record label staff were no longer paid bonuses based on chart positions.

From BBC

They found that although a slim majority of Americans they surveyed don’t believe that “scientists adjust their findings to get the answers they want,” 31 percent do believe scientists cook the books and another 16 percent were unsure.

From Washington Post

These and other proposed regulatory changes seem more likely to lead to net economic harms, at least if you don’t cook the books.

From Washington Post