free hand

noun

1. unrestricted freedom or authority:

   They gave the decorator a free hand.

free hand

noun

1. unrestricted freedom to act (esp in the phrase give ( someone ) a free hand )

adjective

1. (done) by hand without the use of guiding instruments

   a freehand drawing

Word History and Origins

Origin of free hand¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

Also, free rein . Freedom to do or decide as one sees fit. For example, The teacher gave her assistant a free hand with the class , or They gave me free rein to reorganize the department . The first expression dates from the late 1800s, the second from the mid-1900s.

Example Sentences

The commission must approve exception appointments at the most senior grade, but below this level departments have a free hand to recruit.

From BBC

Yoakam cupped his free hand around the bottom of the phone to help amplify the sound.

From Los Angeles Times

But we do know that the court's right-wing majority believes that virtually nothing he does could possibly be criminal, so he's pretty much got a free hand.

From Salon

Specifics like an official invitation to join Nato and a free hand in using the long-range missiles supplied by the UK and France.

From BBC

The AI companies want the public to give them a free hand despite an obvious conflict of interest — profit-making companies should not be trusted to make decisions that might impede their profit-making prospects.

From Los Angeles Times