free and clear

free and clear (not comparable)

1. (law, of a possession) In a condition of lawful outright ownership, without restrictions or encumbrances.
   • 1854, Henry David Thoreau, chapter 1, in Walden:

     [T]hey cannot at once name a dozen in the town who own their farms free and clear.

   • 1905, Horatio Alger, chapter 21, in From Farm to Fortune:

     I have been trying to get a free and clear title to the land for a client of mine.

   • 2011 Nov. 17, Vickie Elmer, "Inheriting a Home, and a Loan," New York Times (retrieved 6 June 2014):

     The will might stipulate, for example, that the heir receive the home, free and clear, Ms. Wheatley-Liss said, which may mean that the executor will be directed to sell stocks, bonds or other assets in the estate to pay off the mortgage.

2. (law, of a person) Possessing such lawful outright ownership.
   • 1949, Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Requiem:

     I made the last payment on the house today. . . . We’re free and clear.

   • 2010 Nov. 10, Kate Taylor, "Title Insurance Concept Spreads Into Art Sales," New York Times (retrieved 6 June 2014):

     Though standard in real estate transactions, the concept of title insurance, which guarantees that a seller is the free and clear owner, has been resisted by the art world.

• allodial title

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