We have signed a blank cheque on the public purse.
But that does not mean that they intended to give him a blank cheque.
Many CEOs want to get a blank cheque from the board to lead the company.
The architect was given/presented with a blank cheque to design a new city centre.
He has, in a sense, been given a blank cheque to negotiate the new South Africa.
She accused the think tank of not fully costing its proposals and effectively "signing a blank cheque on the issue".
But with Angela Merkel suffering her fifth regional election defeat of the year, the German government will be more reluctant than ever to sign a blank cheque.
A blank cheque would greatly suit Barack Obama, who gave warning on April 14th that American banks may “require substantial additional resources”.
Obama, who a fortnight ago called on Bush and the Congress to help carmakers, sided yesterday with congressional leaders. "We cannot just write a blank cheque to the auto industry, " he said.
