My brain, why?

[fredericks]

[Poll #1765505]

I ask because I've come across "free reign" twice in works of authors whose writing I generally admire (fanfic, not pro fic, so there's that). I read a metric shit ton of Saddle Club books when I was younger and "free rein" just makes more *sense,* in that it's implied that the party involved has liberty to do whatever. Whereas "free reign" just seems redundant... unless you're a monarchial history buff and you want to make some subtle commentary about dowagers and puppet heads of state and the like.

Yes. I am weird. I know this.

ETA - K, I realize how silly this is, particularly when speaking of fanfic, where it's not uncommon to see "prostrate" used incorrectly. Don't people use betas?

Comments

[mysticalchild_isis]

"Free rein" is the correct expression, but I think the other is so very omnipresent, that it might even be accepted as as second usage, now? I don't have any of my grammar guides handy at the moment...

[fredericks.livejournal.com]

I figured as much, but it just doesn't make sense to me. It's idiomatic, but "free rein" simply seems more logical.

But, you know, English. Language is ever-evolving and all that jazz.