take liberties

Idioms  

1. Behave improperly or disrespectfully; also, make unwanted sexual advances. For example, He doesn't allow staff members to take liberties, such as calling clients by their first names , or She decided that if Jack tried to take liberties with her she would go straight home . This idiom uses liberties in the sense of “an overstepping of propriety,” and thus differs markedly from take the liberty of . [c. 1700]

2. Make a statement or take an action not warranted by the facts or circumstances, as in Their book takes liberties with the historical record .

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