freewheeling

English

WOTD – 13 August 2018

Alternative forms

• free-wheeling

Etymology

freewheel +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːˌ(h)wiːlɪŋ/, /ˌfɹiːˈ(h)wiːlɪŋ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiˌ(h)wilɪŋ/

• Audio (GA)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Hyphenation: free‧wheel‧ing

Adjective

freewheeling (comparative more freewheeling, superlative most freewheeling)

1. Unbounded by rules or conventions; unrestrained.
   • 1967, Donald M. Counihan, “Statement of American Producers of Italian-type Cheeses Association and Universal Foods Corp., Stella Cheese Division, Milwaukee, Wis.”, in Import Quotas Legislation: Hearings before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, Ninetieth Congress, First Session on Proposal to Impose Import Quotas on Oil, Steel, Textiles, Meat, Dairy Products, and Other Commodities: Part 1: October 18 and 19, 1967: […], Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 142:

     We are confident that such a provision will be drafted such that it will not allow the President to vitiate the intent of the bill through "freewheeling" negotiations.

   • 1977 December 14, John P. Weise (trial judge), Audrey Bernhardt (reporter), “The Singer Company, Librascope Division v. The United States [No. 132-75; 215 Ct. Cl. 281]”, in Cases Decided in the United States Court of Claims: September 1, 1977 to February 28, 1978: […], volume 215, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, published 1979, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 298:

     To begin with, the advisory panel did not operate in the freewheeling fashion that the plaintiff's brief seems to suggest. There was not a disregard by SIDG [Subsystems Integration Design Group] of the contractual implications of the action that it was generating.

   • 1984, Howard R[oberts] Lamar, “Introduction”, in E[dmond] de Mandat-Grancey, translated by William Conn, Cow-boys and Colonels: Narrative of a Journey across the Prairie and over the Black Hills of Dakota  […], Lincoln, Neb., London: University of Nebraska Press, →ISBN:

     De Mandat-Grancey's interest in America was whetted further by a dashing and somewhat mysterious ex-Confederate soldier named Gifford F. Parker. […] Later, the Baron found this freewheeling soldier of fortune living as a nabob merchant in Hong Kong; and yet again the two met in Paris.

   • 1994, Christopher Anderson, “David O. Selznick and the Making of Light’s Diamond Jubilee”, in Hollywood TV: The Studio System in the Fifties, Austin, Tx.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 109:

     In the movie industry, the promise of windfall profits at the box office had encouraged his freewheeling spending. Now [David O.] Selznick feared that the entire budget for Light's Diamond Jubilee would barely cover his company's typical operating expenses during the months of production.

   • 2018 June 8, Sabrina Siddiqui, “Freewheeling Trump sounds off on tariffs, pardons and NFL ahead of G7: Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, the president also discussed international tensions and EPA chief Scott Pruitt”, in The Guardian‎^[1], London, archived from the original on 18 June 2018:

     Donald Trump sounded off on presidential pardons, international tensions over trade and his embattled environmental chief, Scott Pruitt, on Friday as he departed Washington for what is likely to be a combative G7 summit in Canada. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, the freewheeling president also said he would like to meet with the NFL athletes who he has sharply criticized for kneeling during the national anthem.

Derived terms

• freewheelingly

Related terms

• freewheel
• freewheeler

Translations

unbounded by rules or conventions

• Dutch: vrijwielen
• German: frei und ungebunden, sorglos (de), unbekümmert (de); freilaufend (de), Freilauf-

Verb

freewheeling

1. present participle and gerund of freewheel.