🗓️ Idiom: Fudging the Numbers (v)
💬 Meaning
- To manipulate or alter financial or numerical data dishonestly.
- Often done to make results look better than they really are, especially in accounting or reporting.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The accountant was caught fudging the numbers to hide the company’s losses.
- If you keep fudging the numbers, it will eventually catch up with you.
- She denied fudging the numbers, but an audit revealed multiple discrepancies.
🏛️ Origin
The term “fudge” has been used since the 18th century to refer to falsifying or fabricating something. “Fudging the numbers” became a popular idiom in the 20th century as financial regulations increased and creative accounting practices came under scrutiny.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The manager was fired after it was discovered he had been __________ the numbers for years.
Answer
fudging
2. Choose the correct meaning of “fudging the numbers”:
A) Performing calculations quickly
B) Estimating values honestly
C) Altering financial data dishonestly
Answer
C) Altering financial data dishonestly
3. Rewrite the sentence using: Fudging the Numbers
“The company changed its financial figures to make things look better.”
Answer
The company fudged the numbers to make things look better.
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👉 Finance and Accounting Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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