Meaning
Complete freedom or full discretionary power to act as one sees fit, almost always in the pattern of giving or being given carte blanche. The register is formal. English borrowed the literal French idea of a blank document signed in advance, but everyday modern use keeps only the extended sense of unrestricted authority. Formal and usually political or managerial in flavour; it typically follows give, grant or hand someone. Regional use: General English (borrowed from French).
Origin
In French, carte means card or document and blanche means blank, so the phrase is literally 'blank document'. It grew from the old practice of signing a blank sheet of paper and trusting the bearer to fill in the terms later, an act familiar from French diplomatic and military life. Dictionary.com traces the related English card-game term 'blank' or 'blanche' (a worthless piquet hand) to 1655-65, the signed-blank-document sense to about 1700-10, and the discretionary-power sense to about 1760-70; Merriam-Webster dates the full French phrase's first known use in English to 1751. The figurative sense of unconditional authority has long since overtaken the literal document sense.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- cart blanche
- carte blanch
Usage Examples
- The board gave the new director carte blanche to redesign the struggling festival.
- He was handed carte blanche with the renovation budget on one condition: no structural changes.
- Journalists rarely enjoy carte blanche; an editor usually trims the wildest passages before print.