free pass
11
3.4
- noun
- /fri pæs/
:
pase gratis
- Tourists get a free pass.
- give a free pass
- get a free pass
- two free passes
Examples
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LinuxCon has offered Silicon Florist 20 free passes to the event.
Blog text (1) -
If you sign up for the newsletter, you will receive a free pass to the concert.
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- You get a free pass this week.
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You get a free pass for life.
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I got some free passes for the fair tonight.
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You should also check with your public library; they often offer free passes to local museums.
Blog text (1) -
Get your free pass.
Blog text (2) -
We always get free passes from our grocer, Mr. Prickle.
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I halfheartedly counseled her against going with me, even while admitting I had gotten my hands on two free passes to the title fight.
Fiction book (2002) -
He even arranged, through John Balaban, who ran the Balaban & Katz movie chain in Chicago, a free pass admitting two to all the chain's theaters.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
Antonyms
How Useful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun combines 'free' (to exempt) with 'pass' (a permit), so a learner who knows those senses can partially infer a meaning of exemption or permission; however many learners will first interpret 'free' as 'no cost' and may not predict the figurative extension to exemption from criticism or consequences without cultural/contextual knowledge. Because the intended sense is a metaphorical extension of a literal permit, it is only partially predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Free pass comes from the simple idea of a ticket that lets you pass and costs nothing. Imagine walking through a gate holding a paper that lets you enter 'without paying', and that is why it means permission to enter or use a place or service without paying.