Idiom of the Day

carte blanche

FORMAL

Today: Fri, 22 Feb 2019

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Meaning:

If you give someone carte blanche, you give them freedom to do whatever they want in a situation.

For example:

The boss has given us carte blanche to redecorate the offices.
The president gave his generals carte blanche to fight the war however they wished.

Origin: Originally borrowed from French. A literal translation would be "white (or blank) paper".

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Quick Quiz

He was given carte blanche to teach the new staff