Language: en
Meaning: (hunting,sometimes followed byonorforto designate the kind of animal hunted)A period of time during thecalendar yearwhenauthoritieswithin ajurisdictionpermit theunrestrictedhunting of one or more kinds ofanimalwildlife.1912,Jack London, chapter 1, inThe Scarlet Plague(fiction):"But there weren't many crabs in those days," the old man wandered on. "They were fished out, and they were great delicacies. Theopen seasonwas only a month long, too."; (figurative,often followed byonorfor)A situation in which someone isendangered,blamed,harassed, oropposedin asustainedmanner by a number of others; a situation in which something is endangered or otherwise opposed.1919,William MacLeod Raine, “Prologue”, inA Man Four-Square(fiction):In the country of the Clantons there was always anopen seasonon any one of his name.1964March 20, “Patents: Knocking Down the Pole”, inTime[1],→OCLC, archived fromthe originalon16 April 2016:The court thus overruled all the states' protective laws, except against outright fraud, and declaredopen seasonon any products not protected by patents.2009,Tawny Weber,Coming on Strong(fiction),→ISBN,page37:The paparazzi and gossip hounds have declaredopen seasonon celebrities.2025February 19, Christian Wolmar, “Reeves talks of 'growth' but pays lip service to the railway”, inRAIL, number1029, page35:On aviation, the Chancellor seemed to suggest it wasopen seasonfor expanding airports across the UK, irrespective of the fact that flying is a major source of CO² in the atmosphere.; (idiomatic,often followed byonorfor)A situation or period in which some activity is routinely carried on.1921,Peter B. Kyne, chapter 15, inThe Pride of Palomar(fiction),page155:"My dear Miss Parker, this is theopen seasonon terrible practical jokes."1959October 26, “Music: Curtains Up!”, inTime[2],→OCLC, archived fromthe originalon4 August 2014:Theopen seasonon culture in Manhattan used to begin with the first stroke of a Metropolitan Opera baton.
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