Donner carte blanche
Meaning: To grant someone complete freedom to act as they see fit.
Language: French
Literally: To give a white card
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A carte blanche was a sheet signed at the bottom and left otherwise empty, so that the bearer could write in whatever terms they chose above the signature. English borrowed it whole rather than translating it.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Tourner casaque — To switch sides or change allegiance.
- Retourner sa veste — To change one's allegiance opportunistically.
- Coiffer Sainte Catherine — To reach twenty-five while still unmarried — said of a woman.
- Être sujet à caution — To be unreliable; not to be taken at face value.
- Caviarder un texte — To censor a piece of writing by blacking out passages.
- Se serrer la ceinture — To economize and go without.
More French idioms
- La femme de César ne doit pas être soupçonnée — Those in public office must be above even the appearance of wrongdoing.
- Se réduire comme une peau de chagrin — To dwindle away steadily until nothing is left.
- Appuyer sur le champignon — To accelerate hard; to floor it.
- Devoir une fière chandelle à quelqu'un — To owe someone a considerable debt of gratitude.
- Le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle — The effort or cost outweighs anything to be gained.
- Tenir la chandelle — To be the awkward third party to a couple.
From our proverbs
- You've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette — Achieving worthwhile goals sometimes requires accepting unavoidable losses or collateral…
- Absence cools moderate passions, and inflames violent ones. — Distance fades mild affections but makes intense ones burn all the hotter.
- The absent are always at fault. — Those not present to defend themselves get the blame.
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