licence
a licence to print money
An activity, business model, or company that yields very high profits but requires little or no effort to do so. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. All these hefty parking fees and fines are just a licence to print money for the city. These trashy gossip magazines are of such low quality, yet they always fly off the shelves. They're all licences to print money.
See also: licence, money, print
artistic license
1. Intentional violations of or deviations from traditional forms, standards, or syntax by a writer in order to achieve a particular effect. Don't get hung up on adhering too strictly to iambic pentameter—you can use a bit of artistic license if it means preserving the meaning and rhythm you want. Any two-bit poet can string together a jumble of words and call it artistic license.
2. Minor changes to or misrepresentations of facts or history in the name of art or for the sake of an agenda. People complain about minor inaccuracies in historical dramas, but honestly they wouldn't be able to make the movies marketable without using a little artistic license.
See also: artistic, license
be a licence to print money
Of an activity, business model, or company, to yield very high profits but require little or no effort to do so. All these hefty parking fees and fines are just a licence to print money for the city. These trashy gossip magazines are of such low quality, yet they always fly off the shelves. The whole racket is a licence to print money.
See also: licence, money, print
poetic license
1. Intentional violations of or deviations from traditional forms, standards, or syntax by a writer in order to achieve a particular effect. Don't get hung up on adhering too strictly to iambic pentameter—you can use a bit of poetic license if it means preserving the meaning and rhythm you want. Any two-bit poet can string together a jumble of words and call it poetic license.
2. Minor changes to or misrepresentations of facts or history in the name of art or for the sake of an agenda. People complain about minor inaccuracies in historical dramas, but honestly they wouldn't be able to make the movies marketable without using a little poetic license.
See also: license, poetic
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
poetic license
liberties or license of the type taken by artists, especially poets, to violate patterns of rhyme, harmony, structure, etc. I couldn't tell whether he kept making spelling mistakes or if it was just poetic license.
See also: license, poetic
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
poetic license
Also, artistic license. The liberty taken by a writer or artist in deviating from conventional form or fact to achieve an effect. For example, I've never seen grass or a tree of that color; but that's artistic license. [Late 1700s]
See also: license, poetic
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
a licence to print money
mainly BRITISHIf you describe an activity as a licence to print money, you mean that it allows people to get a lot of money with little effort. Note: The noun `licence' is spelled `license' in American English. This world-famous drama festival is a licence to print money for those renting their homes to groups of performers. Is owning a sporting goods store a license to print money? Note: This expression usually shows disapproval.
See also: licence, money, print
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
licence to print money
a very lucrative commercial activity, typically one perceived as requiring little effort.See also: licence, money, print
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
artistic/poetic ˈlicence
(often ironic) the freedom of artists or writers to change facts in order to make a story, painting, etc. more interesting or beautiful: In the book, a fair amount of artistic licence has been taken with the timing of historical events so that they fit with the story. I allowed myself a little poetic licence in describing the table as an antique. Licence in this idiom means ‘freedom to do or say whatever you want’.
See also: artistic, licence, poetic
a licence to print ˈmoney
(disapproving) used to describe a business which makes a lot of money with little effort: Many people think that the national lottery is nothing more than a licence to print money.See also: licence, money, print
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- up on (one's) ear
- chip
- chips
- Two Bob
- (as) dead as mutton
- dead as mutton
- mutton
- one of the boys
- one of the lads
- be well in (with)