[close] the books
1
to no longer make new entries when an accounting period is at its end
The idiom "close the books" comes from the accounting or financial world, where it refers to the process of finalizing a company's financial records at the end of an accounting period. It is typically used in a business or financial context to describe the completion of a particular accounting period.
- By the time they realized they needed to close the books, it was already too late.
- The accounting team worked long hours to close the books for the year and meet the deadline.
- The government has suspended all their accounts.Closing the books will not do them any good.