CARTE BLANCHE Definition & Meaning

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carte blanche

[ kahrt blanch, blahnch; French kart blahnsh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural cartes blanches

unconditional authority; full discretionary power:
It appears that the government has given the military carte blanche.
She was given carte blanche to decorate her room as she wished, perhaps an unwise decision by her parents.
Synonyms: , , ,
a sheet of paper that is blank except for a signature and given by the signer to another person to write in what they please.
Cards. a hand having no face card but with a special scoring value, as in piquet.

carte blanche

/ kart blɑ̃ʃ; ˈkɑːt ˈblɑːntʃ /

noun

complete discretion or authority
the government gave their negotiator carte blanche
cards a piquet hand containing no court cards: scoring ten points

carte blanche

To be given “carte blanche” is to receive the power and authority to do as one wishes: “The prime minister herself did not take any action on the refugee issue but gave her minister of the interior carte blanche to deal with the situation.” Carte blanche is French for “blank card,” meaning one that can be filled in as a person wishes.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of carte blanche¹

First recorded in 1655–65 as blank, blanck , or blanche (without carte ) in the card game sense, in 1700–10 in the sense “blank, signed document,” and in 1760–70 in the sense “discretionary power”; from French: literally, “blank document”; carte, blank

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of carte blanche¹

C18: from French: blank paper

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Schumer said a shutdown would have been catastrophic for Democrats policy goals, giving President Donald Trump's administration carte blanche to dismantle portions of the federal government they dislike.

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I met with the publicist, with whom I had worked with many times, and I had carte blanche because she liked my photography.

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They believe that they now have carte blanche to enact violence and intimidation in whatever way they think is in service to their largely patriarchal vision for the country.

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PDA’s calendar primarily featured clown shows and workshops, though its carte blanche mentality also welcomed in sketch, improv, stand-up and readings.

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On the campaign trail, Trump promised Kennedy carte blanche to “go wild” on vaccines.

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