free hand vs free rein

free hand

noun
  • free rein 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see free, hand. 

free rein

noun
  • Loose rein(s), as of a horse. 

  • The absence of constraints; freedom to make decisions. 

How often have the words free hand and free rein occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )