free and easy
Idioms-
Casual, relaxed, as in His style of writing is free and easy . In the 1930s and 1940s this phrase gained currency as part of a slogan for a brand of cigarettes, which were said to be “free and easy” to inhale. [c. 1700]
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Careless, sloppy, morally lax, as in This administration was free and easy with the taxpayers' money , or These girls hate to be considered free and easy . [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But because there's water, water everywhere, we are more free and easy with it.
From BBC • May 15, 2025
“But when your mechanics feel good and you’re not fighting your body, it’s a lot more free and easy of a throw.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2024
But the secrecy that pervades this trial is indicative of a broader expectation in the digital sector whereby everything and anything is permitted because it’s free and easy to use.
From Slate • Oct. 25, 2023
But because that’s the case, why not swing free and easy?
From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2023
Jo understood why Laurie ‘primmed up his mouth’ when speaking of Kate, for that young lady had a standoff-don’t-touch-me air, which contrasted strongly with the free and easy demeanor of the other girls.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.