accused of fiddling

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "accused of fiddling" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to someone being charged or suspected of engaging in dishonest or fraudulent behavior, often related to financial matters. Example: "The politician was accused of fiddling with the accounts to cover up the missing funds."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

Yukos is accused of fiddling its taxes.

The Economist

Some of banking's biggest names stand accused of fiddling interest-rate and foreign-exchange benchmarks.The good news is that enforcement has got tougher, smarter and more co-ordinated.

The Economist

A Conservative government would have a review of legal aid, and there won't be legal aid available for members of Parliament who are accused of fiddling their expenses".

The Guardian

The drive by American regulators to secure a guilty plea from the Royal Bank of Scotland division accused of fiddling bank lending rates shows that US officials are taking an increasingly aggressive stance.

Independent

The finance minister admitted that the economy had "structural problems".Carlos Menem, a senator and former president of Argentina, appeared in court accused of fiddling his taxes, which he denies.

The Economist

According to Buttress, no sooner had he proved that he had never in his life bought or traded in any shares than he found himself accused of fiddling his mileage expenses claims.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

Skinner, the MP for Bolsover, Derbyshire, said that he was upset that anyone could accuse him of fiddling his expenses.

The Guardian

Critics accuse China of fiddling its trade figures, because the value of its exports as measured by the importing country is always much bigger than what the Chinese report.

The Economist

At Craven Cottage, Santos had agreed to split the gate receipts with the hosts, but there was a disagreement over the number of paying punters, the Brazilians accusing Fulham of fiddling the crowd figures.

The Guardian - Sport

The Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs, long considered a shrewd winner from the financial crisis, was slapped with potentially devastating fraud charges todayas US regulators accused the firm of fiddling investors out of more than $1bn£640m0m) by wilfully mis-marketing toxic sub-prime mortgage-related securities.

The Guardian - Business

Thomson accused Google of fiddling with its search algorithm to maximise its own revenues and "punish" small companies.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "accused of fiddling", ensure the context clearly indicates what was manipulated or misrepresented. Be specific about the object of the "fiddling" to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

While "accused of fiddling" is acceptable, it can sound informal or colloquial in certain professional contexts. Use more formal alternatives like "charged with manipulation" or "suspected of falsification" for official reports or business communications.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "accused of fiddling" functions as a verb phrase, specifically a passive construction indicating that someone has been formally or informally charged with dishonest manipulation. Ludwig AI confirms this usage across various contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

80%

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Science

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "accused of fiddling" is used to describe someone who has been charged or suspected of dishonest manipulation. Ludwig confirms that it is grammatically correct and mainly appears in news and media contexts. While "accused of fiddling" is usable, consider alternative, more formal phrasings like "charged with manipulation" depending on the context. Be specific about what exactly someone is accused of manipulating when using this expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

accused of manipulating data

Specifies the type of "fiddling" as relating to data, making it more precise.

charged with manipulating

Refers to a formal accusation of manipulation, often in a legal context.

charged with doctoring figures

Implies manipulation of numbers, often in a financial or statistical context, and a formal charge.

alleged to have manipulated

Focuses more on the action of manipulation rather than the accusation itself.

alleged to have falsified

Implies a creation of false information with intent to deceive.

implicated in manipulating accounts

Points to potential involvement in dishonestly altering financial records.

suspected of rigging

Implies a clandestine or deceitful alteration, often in a competitive environment.

suspected of tampering with

Suggests unauthorized interference with something to alter its condition or outcome.

implicated in doctoring

Suggests involvement in altering something, like documents, to deceive.

accused of cooking the books

An idiomatic phrase indicating the falsification of financial records.

FAQs

What does "accused of fiddling" mean?

The phrase "accused of fiddling" means someone is being charged or suspected of engaging in dishonest or fraudulent behavior, often related to financial matters or data manipulation.

What can I say instead of "accused of fiddling"?

You can use alternatives like "charged with manipulating", "suspected of rigging", or "alleged to have falsified" depending on the context.

Is "accused of fiddling" a formal expression?

No, "accused of fiddling" is not a formal expression. It's more appropriate for informal or journalistic contexts. For formal settings, consider using phrases like "charged with fraud" or "suspected of data manipulation".

How to use "accused of fiddling" in a sentence?

You can use "accused of fiddling" in a sentence like: "The politician was accused of fiddling with the accounts to cover up the missing funds", or "Critics accused China of fiddling its trade figures".