From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgive somebody a free hand/reingive somebody a free hand/reinLET/ALLOWto let someone do whatever they want or need to do in a particular situation The producer was given a free rein with the script. → free
Examples from the Corpus
give somebody a free hand/rein• I would discuss the script, say, on proportional representation, and then give him free rein.• Then I pretty much give them free rein.• While watching him at work she impulsively asked to borrow his materials and followed his advice to give her imagination free rein.• No advanced industrial nation gives corporations a freer hand in busting unions.• No, it was thanks to my culinary abilities that Marie-Claude gave me free rein of both her kitchen and her bedchamber.• It turns them on and gives them a free hand to be as obnoxious as they want.• He's given me a free hand to buy horses.• Both these factors gave him a freer hand to negotiate.• They've given me a free hand with the budget, as long as I stay under $10,000. 