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Glite Dictionary
to give someone his head

to give someone his head

8.5
Allow someone to act freely and make their own choices
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : dar rienda suelta
  • She knew that to inspire creativity, she had to give him his head during the brainstorming session.

Examples

  • If you give someone his head, they can make decisions without any restrictions.

  • Give him his head! -

    Hidalgo (2004)

  • And then give him his head and let him roll, and if he starts loafing on you, well, you just give him the gun, see?

    The Champ (1931)

  • The manager decided to give him his head and trust his judgment on the project.

Synonyms

to let loose
vsto give someone his head
  • Informal
12 3.9

Relax and enjoy yourself without worrying

lets the person make all decisions independently with full authority

Antonyms

to control
∞ 2.4

To have power over people, things, or situations

to restrict
361 3.1

Limit how much people can use or access something

How Free

free rein
15 4.1
to give someone his head
  • UK
8.5
to permit
531 1.5
to allow
∞ 1.0
to let
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

give someone his head infinitive
gave someone his head past
given someone his head past participle
giving someone his head present participle
gives someone his head third person singular

Morphology

give + someone + his + head

The phrase uses a metaphorical sense of 'head' (control/authority), so a learner who knows 'give' and 'head' might infer something like granting leadership or control; however, the specific meaning 'allow complete freedom to act' is an extended, idiomatic use and not fully predictable from the parts. Because the connection is suggestive but requires pragmatic/cultural knowledge, it is not fully transparent to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom give someone his head may come from riding horses: if you loosen the reins, you literally give the horse its head and let it run where it wants. So, it means 'to make their own decisions'.