Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- unrestricted freedom or authority: They gave the decorator a free hand.
noun
- unrestricted freedom to act (esp in the phrase give (someone) a free hand)
adjective, adverb freehand
- (done) by hand without the use of guiding instrumentsa freehand drawing
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.