IdiomDaily Life
Portuguese
Portuguesecarta branca
Meaning: complete freedom to act without restrictions or needing approval.
Literally: White letter
Example: “A diretora deu-lhe carta branca para reorganizar a biblioteca.” — The principal gave him a free hand to reorganize the library.
English equivalent: To have a free hand
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir les coudées franches Literally: To have free elbow-lengths
English: have a free hand
Origin: Carta here is a letter or document, and a carta branca (white letter) is a blank sheet signed in advance, which the holder may fill in with whatever terms they like. Portuguese took it from French carte blanche, used in this sense since around 1700, and the phrase is now said of any full freedom to act.
More Portuguese idioms
- arrastar pela lama to publicly humiliate or damage someone's reputation.
- há algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca something is deeply wrong or suspicious, though the truth may be hidden.
- do dia para a noite Very suddenly or extremely quickly.
- vaca sagrada Something so valued or protected that it cannot be criticized, changed, or harmed.
- morrer de rir To laugh very hard or uproariously.
- a essa altura do campeonato At this late stage; now that things have gone this far.
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