have elbow room

1. To have enough space to move around an area easily. Ugh, the mall is so crowded today. We hardly have any elbow room at all! We offer larger cabins for customers looking to have a bit more elbow room during their stay. Following the new expansion to their enclosure, the primates at the zoo will have some extra elbow room.

2. To have the freedom and ability to act as one wants. I always believe in letting my creative teams have as much elbow room as they need to see their visions become realities. Thanks to this grant from the city council, we'll finally have some elbow room to expand the scope of the business the way we originally intended. Well, you're her cabinet—if you're worried about her having too much elbow room as student council president, you should impose limitations.