cook the books
English
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cook the books
Where it comes from
From the mid-17th century. A metaphor based on cooking, whereby ingredients are changed, altered and improved. Thus financial statements can also be so modified to the benefit of the "cook".
verb cooks the books · cooking the books · cooked the books
- To manipulate accounting information, especially illegally. Enron Corp., once a major U.S. corporation, is now famous for cooking the books.
- To falsify an account of an event. Those that cooked the books and presented them with bias minds; They sugar-coated the stories; and twisted and exaggerated events
Translations
Every language
verb manipulate accounting information
| 日本語 | 改竄する kaizan suru |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 做假帳 /做假帐 zuò jiǎzhàng |
| Português | manipular a contabilidade, fraudar a contabilidade |
| Ελληνικά | μαγειρεύω τα βιβλία mageirévo ta vivlía |
| Русский | фальсифици́ровать фина́нсовую отчётность falʹsificírovatʹ finánsovuju otčótnostʹ, сфальсифици́ровать фина́нсовую отчётность sfalʹsificírovatʹ finánsovuju otčótnostʹ |
verb falsify an account of an event
| 中文 | 弄虛作假 /弄虚作假 nòngxūzuòjiǎ |
|---|---|
| Português | falsificar, adulterar, manipular |
Talk about this word "cook the books." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cook%20the%20books. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cook the books. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cook%20the%20books "cook the books." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cook%20the%20books.Cite this
@misc{cook_the_books_2026,
title = {cook the books},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cook%20the%20books},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
