carte blanche

American  

[kahrt blanch, blahnch, kart blahnsh] / ˈkɑrt ˈblæntʃ, ˈblɑntʃ, kart ˈblɑ̃ʃ /

noun

plural

cartes blanches

1. 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:

   free hand, blank check, free rein, license

2. 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.

3. Cards. a hand having no face card but with a special scoring value, as in piquet.

---

carte blanche British  

/ kart blɑ̃ʃ, ˈkɑːt ˈblɑːntʃ /

noun

1. complete discretion or authority

   the government gave their negotiator carte blanche

2. cards a piquet hand containing no court cards: scoring ten points

---

carte blanche Cultural  

1. 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.

---

Pop Culture

— Carte Blanche: A painting by Belgian surrealist René Magritte. It depicts a horse and rider, apparently walking through a forest, though closer inspection shows the forest visible through the horse and rider. The painting is meant as a meditation on art and its relationship to reality. — Carte Blanche: An album released by American hip-hop artist Phat Kat in the late 2000s. — Carte Blanche: The 37th novel in the James Bond franchise, written by Jeffery Deaver.

Etymology

Origin of carte blanche

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”; see carte, blank

Example Sentences

Carte blanche must be shown by counting the cards, one by one, face upward, on the table.

From Hoyle's Games Modernized by Hoffmann, Louis

I hereby grant Carte blanche of mortar, stone, and trowel.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 325, August 2, 1828 by Various

Carte blanche is not what Barb wants; she wants a settlement. 

From Lady Barbarina The Siege of London, An International Episode and Other Tales by James, Henry

Carte blanche to learn the disposition of our forces—our weakness and our strength—and to make his report in Richmond.

From The Littlest Rebel by Peple, Edward Henry

Carte blanche, as you say over the water.

From The Lion's Skin by Sabatini, Rafael

Related Words

• blank check
• free rein
• latitude
• power of attorney