hall pass

[ hawl pas ]

noun

1. a slip of paper or other object authorizing a student to be out of the classroom during a class period:

   I hand out only four hall passes per term—two bathroom passes and two locker passes.

2. permission from one’s spouse or partner to go out independently for any desired activity, sometimes even including sexual encounters with other partners:

   His wife and little person were going out, so he had a hall pass to come with us for a bite to eat.

3. freedom or license to do something not normally allowed:

   Temperatures are starting to drop, but that doesn't mean we have a hall pass to halt our outdoor workouts.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hall pass¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Klotz contends that she was ordered to perform menial tasks and forced to check in whenever she left the office, much like a high-schooler requesting a hall pass.

From Los Angeles Times

When Fey asks if there are dads in the crowd who had either of the comics as hall passes two decades ago, many hands shoot up.

From New York Times

She gave me a hall pass so that I could go to the gym when I was supposed to be in Spanish.

From Literature

Gone are his good looks — a hall pass to caddishness in a previous life.

From New York Times

He doesn't get a hall pass from the radical left for coincidentally or instrumentally signing onto a few worthwhile debating points.

From Salon