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

See Examples For:

cook the books

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

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

You can lie, and you can cook the books, but you can’t fake a vibe.

From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2016

But once the data is out there - posted online - it becomes much harder for the backroom cheats to cook the books.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2015

Nothing at all, if you cook the books.'

From Menotah A Tale of the Riel Rebellion by Henham, Ernest G.