Aug 13, 2010

Reign or Rein

Many people presume 'free reign' to means a person has the 'royal' power to do anything they want.

Actually, the correct phrase is 'free rein'.  It comes from the days before cars, when horses were used for transportation. When navigating a steep or winding path, the rider would relax the reins so the horse could pick the safest path on its own.