free and easy

See also: free-and-easy

English

free and easy (comparative more free and easy, superlative most free and easy)

Casual, informal, relaxed, unrestrained.
- 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 10.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:
  He was […] none of your free-and-easy companions, who would scrape their boots upon the firedogs in the common room, […]
- 1857, Bayard Taylor, chapter 20, in Northern Travel:
  The other passengers were three Norwegians, three fossil Englishmen, two snobbish do., and some jolly, good-natured, free-and-easy youths.
- 1918, Rex Ellingwood Beach, chapter 13, in The Winds of Chance:
  "That's more money than I've seen in a month," said she. "I wouldn't be so free and easy with it, if I were you."
- 2006 May 19, Ian Buruma, “Hard Luck for a Hard-Liner”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:
  The Netherlands, proud of its multicultural tolerance, its hospitality to strangers, its free and easy social ways, used to be thought of as a soft touch for would-be immigrants.
(travel, Singapore) Travelling according to one's own personal schedule and preferences.
- 2016, Jorge L. C. Sanz, Business Analytics: Progress On Applications In Asia Pacific, page 561:
  With the increase in budget travelers coming to Singapore, a personalized recommender system has the potential to effectively provide assistance to this group of travellers to piece together free and easy travel plans.

Casual, informal

free and easy (plural free and easies)

(historical) A tavern offering informal entertainment from amateur and professional performers.
- 1850 September 14, [Charles Dickens], “Three “Detective” Anecdotes”, in Charles Dickens, editor, Household Words. A Weekly Journal., volume I, number 25, London: Office, […], →OCLC:
  "Then, perhaps," says I, taking the gloves out of my pocket, "you can tell me who cleaned this pair of gloves? It's a rum story," I says. "I was dining over at Lambeth, the other day, at a free-and-easy - quite promiscuous - with a public company - when some gentleman, he left these gloves behind him! […]