to doctor the accounts
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To falsify them. The allusion is to drugging wine, beer, etc., and to adulteration generally.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to doctor the accounts” mean?
To falsify them. The allusion is to drugging wine, beer, etc., and to adulteration generally.
Is “to doctor the accounts” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.