Word of the Day : December 29, 2021

carte blanche

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noun KART-BLAHNCH

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What It Means

Carte blanche is the permission to do something however one chooses to do it.

// The parents granted their children carte blanche to decorate their bedrooms as they wished.

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carte blanche in Context

"'I know you're used to having carte blanche to handle the mission as you see fit, 007. You have your independent streak and it's served you well in the past.' A dark look. 'Most of the time.'"— Jeffery Deaver, Carte Blanche, 2011

Did You Know?

Carte blanche is much like a blank check. In French, carte means "document" and blanche means "blank," so the phrase means "blank document." English retained that literal meaning: a carte blanche was a blank document signed in advance by one party and given to the other with permission to fill in conditions later. Much like blank check, carte blanche also took on the extended meaning "complete freedom."