a free lance
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
One who acts on his own judg- ment, and not from party motives; a journalist who is not definitely attached to, or on the salaried staff of, any one paper.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a free lance” mean?
One who acts on his own judg- ment, and not from party motives; a journalist who is not definitely attached to, or on the salaried staff of, any one paper.
Is “a free lance” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.