cook the books
Manipulate financial statements
To cook the books is to falsify financial records, making accounts appear healthier than they are.
The phrase implies deliberate manipulation rather than honest error: The CFO had been cooking the books for years before auditors caught on.
A company might cook the books to attract investors, secure loans, or hide embezzlement.
Distort the truth
- ledgerFinancial record book
- auditFormal accounts examination
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- revenueBusiness income total
expenses · overstate · understate · misreport · irregularities · discrepancies · accountant · forensic
Fraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- misappropriationWrongful taking of entrusted assets
- white-collarOffice work designation
falsification · fraudster · corruption · kickback · collusion · offshore
Underhanded control of others
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- distortionTwisting from original state
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
duplicity · chicanery · subterfuge · concealment · window-dressing · fudge · inflate · deflate
Failed energy corporation
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- investigationFormal examination of facts
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
SEC · prosecution · testimony · subpoena · plea-bargain · regulatory · compliance · shareholder
falsify
Distort the truth
revenue · expenses · overstate · understate · misreport · irregularities · discrepancies · accountant · forensic · taxation
embezzlement
Fraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- misappropriationWrongful taking of entrusted assets
white-collar · falsification · fraudster · corruption · kickback · collusion · offshore
manipulation
Underhanded control of others
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- distortionTwisting from original state
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
deceit · duplicity · chicanery · subterfuge · concealment · window-dressing · fudge · inflate · deflate · hide
Enron
Failed energy corporation
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- investigationFormal examination of facts
indictment · SEC · prosecution · testimony · subpoena · plea-bargain · regulatory · compliance · shareholder · bankruptcy
- food idiomspiece of cake, bread winner, low-hanging fruit, cool as a cucumber, bad egg
- dirty tacticsdirty trick, dirty tricks, dirty pool, foul play, cheap shot
- financial fraudsecurities fraud, bank fraud, accounting fraud, defalcation, embezzler
- Book Idiomson the same page, same page, turn the page, cover to cover, new chapter
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- fraudscam, fraud, swindle, con, deceive
cook the booksdo the right thing
Behave with moral integrity
play by the rules · ethical business practices · play it straight · walk the straight and narrow · keep one's nose clean
book, cook, cooking, books, cookie, booked, booking, bookish, booklet