free house
1
4.9
- noun
- /friː haʊs/
- Jargon
:
pub libre
- During the festival, we visited a charming free house that offered a wide selection of local ales.
Examples
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In the village, the free house is popular for its unique craft beer options not tied to any brewery.
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You have a free house?
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- Of all the people to have a free house, and he doesn't want to have a party.
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It looks like you should have a free house since no one owns it.
Blog text (4) -
The pub is a free house, allowing it to serve beers from various breweries.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'free' + 'house' give a loose clue (a house that is 'free' in some sense), but the intended meaning — an independent pub not tied to a brewery — relies on a specialised industry sense of 'free' ('free from control') and 'house' as 'public house'. A B1 learner who only knows common senses ('free' = without charge; 'house' = building or firm) is unlikely to infer the precise, jargon-like meaning without prior exposure, so the expression is partially but not fully transparent.
Etymology
Free house comes from the image of a free house — a pub not owned by one brewery and therefore 'free to sell beers from any brewery'. So, free house means a pub that is not tied to a particular brewery.