write one's own ticket

Idioms & Phrases

write one's own ticket

Set one's own conditions or course of action according to one's wishes or needs. For example, This generous grant lets recipients write their own tickets. This term uses ticket in the sense of "something entitling the holder to a privilege." [Colloquial; 1920s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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