[kahrt blanch, blahnch; Fr. kart blahnsh] 
[kahrts blanch, blahnch; Fr. kart blahnsh] . | 1. | unconditional authority; full discretionary power. |
| 2. | a sheet of paper that is blank except for a signature and given by the signer to another person to write in what he or she pleases. |
| 3. | Cards. a hand having no face card but with a special scoring value, as in piquet. |
| carte blanche (kärt bläɴsh', blänch', blānch') n. pl. cartes blanches (kärt bläɴsh', kärts blänch', blānch') Unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority: gave the contractor carte blanche to modernize the kitchen. [French : carte, ticket + blanche, blank.] |
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.
