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carte

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à la carte

Available to be purchased individually instead of bundled with other items. Most often describes items on a menu that are not part of a main dish. I wasn't very hungry, so I opted to buy a few side items à la carte instead of a full meal.

See also: carte, la

*carte blanche

Fig. freedom or permission to act as one wishes or thinks necessary. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) He's been given carte blanche with the reorganization of the workforce. The manager has been given no instructions about how to train the staff. He has carte blanche from the owner.

See also: blanche, carte

à la carte

if you eat à la carte, you choose each dish from a separate list instead of eating a fixed combination of dishes at a fixed price I don't know whether to have the set-menu or go à la carte.

See also: carte, la

give somebody carte blanche

  (slightly formal)

to let someone do whatever they want in a particular situation (usually + to do sth) She gave her interior decorator carte blanche to do up her apartment. (slightly formal)

See also: blanche, carte, give