IdiomAnimals
English
Englishgive free rein
Meaning: To give someone complete freedom to act.
Example: “The museum gave the young artist free rein to design the exhibition.”
Origin: A rider who loosens the reins lets the horse go where it likes. It is often misspelled "free reign," but the image is from horse riding, not kings. The figurative use is found from the 17th century.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Donner carte blanche Literally: To give a white card
More English idioms
- jump ship To abandon a group or cause, often for a rival.
- left on the shelf To be considered too old to marry; more generally, to be passed over.
- take with a grain of salt To be skeptical about something; not to take it entirely at face value.
- the game is not worth the candle The effort or cost is greater than the reward.
- be a third wheel To be an unwanted extra person with a couple.
- have a seat at the table To be included in the discussions where decisions are made.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A 'w/ch/ck' drill that accelerates comically — and nobody really knows the answer.
- The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick. Believed by Guinness to be among the hardest in English — 'six/sick/sheikh/sheep' blur in…
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.
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