free and easy

• free-and-easy (attributive only)

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

1. Casual, informal, relaxed, unrestrained.
   • 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, chapter 10:

     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, →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.

• See Thesaurus:carefree

free and easy (plural free and easies)

1. (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! […]

• “free and easy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.