cook the books
idiomatic phrase
informal
: to alter official accounting records in order to deceive or mislead
Congress cooked the books with phony spending cuts and accounting gimmickry to appear to reduce the federal deficit.—
Colleen O'Connor
Colleen O'ConnorExamples of cook the books in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a little callback to last season’s episode with perfectionist crooked accountant Ashton Hayes (Keegan-Michael Key), Kaya uncovers his work cooking the books for Pupetta’s Restaurant.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Macy’s is in crisis mode after disclosing that an employee cooked the books for years, using unethical accounting practices to hide well over $100 million in expenses.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024
In any case, the whistleblower alleged that one of the luxury label’s vendors revealed that Alexis required the vendor to cook the books and give the brand an invoice with lower unit prices than the actual unit prices that were paid.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
That in turn would likely make Kenya’s leaders less inclined to engage in violent repression or feel the need to cook the books to hoard a massive campaign war chest to avoid a loss at the next election.
—Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2024
Most crimes of this type involve defendants who cook the books to cover-up embezzlement or other financial crime; arguably far less serious to society than Trump’s conduct.
—Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 23 June 2024
Governments of all stripes remain preoccupied by such statistics, and many leaders feel compelled to cook the books.
—Luis R. Martínez, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2023
The Government alleges that the failure to estimate project costs led Austal managers to cook the books in an effort to avoid disciplinary action from company leadership in Australia.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 2 Apr. 2023
Finally, at the core of Cuomo’s misbehavior is the arrogance of power, which was also evident in his efforts to cook the books on nursing-home deaths that resulted from his reckless COVID-19 policies.
—The Editors, National Review, 3 Aug. 2021
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Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Macy’s is in crisis mode after disclosing that an employee cooked the books for years, using unethical accounting practices to hide well over $100 million in expenses.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024
In any case, the whistleblower alleged that one of the luxury label’s vendors revealed that Alexis required the vendor to cook the books and give the brand an invoice with lower unit prices than the actual unit prices that were paid.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
That in turn would likely make Kenya’s leaders less inclined to engage in violent repression or feel the need to cook the books to hoard a massive campaign war chest to avoid a loss at the next election.
—Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2024
Most crimes of this type involve defendants who cook the books to cover-up embezzlement or other financial crime; arguably far less serious to society than Trump’s conduct.
—Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 23 June 2024
Governments of all stripes remain preoccupied by such statistics, and many leaders feel compelled to cook the books.
—Luis R. Martínez, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2023
The Government alleges that the failure to estimate project costs led Austal managers to cook the books in an effort to avoid disciplinary action from company leadership in Australia.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 2 Apr. 2023
Finally, at the core of Cuomo’s misbehavior is the arrogance of power, which was also evident in his efforts to cook the books on nursing-home deaths that resulted from his reckless COVID-19 policies.
—The Editors, National Review, 3 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Cook the books.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20the%20books. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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