Carte blanche

Carte blanche is a noun that refers to unrestricted authority. Our word of the day comes directly from the French term for ‘blank document.’ In this case, a blank document refers to something that gives someone unchecked power. The director thought it might be a good idea to have our play Much Ado about Nothing performed entirely by dogs. It may not have been a good idea to give Arnie carte blanche when directing the play.