Finance and accounting are at the heart of every business, from tracking expenses to planning future investments. Professionals often use colourful expressions to explain these complex ideas in a simple way. In this post, we’ll look at a range of finance & accounting idioms that cover money management, profits, losses, and financial decisions.
| Idiom | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking the books | Falsifying financial records or accounting information to make a company’s financial situation appear better than it is. | The CEO was caught cooking the books to show higher profits than the company actually earned. |
| Fudging the numbers | Changing figures or data in financial reports to deceive or mislead others about the true financial status. | The company accountant was fudging the numbers to hide the extent of their financial losses. |
| Balance the books | Ensuring that financial records are accurate and all accounts are settled correctly. | The accountant worked tirelessly to balance the books before the end of the fiscal year. |
| Paint a rosy picture | Presenting financial information in a way that makes a situation seem more positive or favourable than it is. | The CFO tried to paint a rosy picture of the company’s financial health during the shareholders’ meeting. |
| Creative accounting | Using accounting methods or practices that may technically follow the rules but are misleading or unethical. | The company resorted to creative accounting to inflate its reported earnings. |
| In the red | Having financial losses or being in debt. | The company has been in the red for the past two quarters due to declining sales. |
| In the black | Having financial gains or being profitable. | Thanks to cost-cutting measures, the company finally ended the year in the black. |
| Throw money down the drain | Wasting money on unnecessary or unproductive expenses. | Investing in that failed marketing campaign was like throwing money down the drain. |
| Bleed cash | Lose money at an alarming rate. | The startup was bleeding cash faster than it could generate revenue. |
| Take a hit | Suffer financial losses or setbacks. | The company’s stock took a hit after the announcement of the lawsuit. |
| Fighting an uphill battle | Struggling to overcome financial challenges or obstacles. | With increasing competition, the small business was fighting an uphill battle to stay afloat. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Extremely expensive; costing a significant amount of money. | The new machinery for the factory cost an arm and a leg, but it improved production efficiency. |
| Make money hand over fist | Earn money quickly and in large amounts. | The online retailer was making money hand over fist during the holiday season. |
| Rake it in | Make a lot of money, especially effortlessly or easily. | The real estate mogul was raking it in from property investments. |
| Make a killing | Earn a substantial amount of money, often from a single transaction or investment. | The tech startup founders made a killing when their company went public. |
| Cash cow | A business, product, or investment that consistently generates a large profit. | The company’s flagship product became a cash cow, providing steady revenue year after year. |
| Nest egg | A sum of money saved or invested for future use or emergencies. | After years of saving, they built up a comfortable nest egg for retirement. |
| Skeletons in the closet | Undisclosed or hidden problems or issues, especially related to finances. | Before acquiring the company, they conducted thorough due diligence to uncover any skeletons in the closet. |
| Rainy day fund | Money set aside for unexpected expenses or emergencies. | It’s wise to have a rainy day fund for unforeseen financial hardships. |
| The bottom line | The final or ultimate result or conclusion, especially in financial terms. | Despite all the challenges, the bottom line is that the company is profitable. |
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