elbow room
noun [ U ] uk/ˈel.bəʊ ˌruːm/ us/ˈel.boʊ ˌruːm/
活动余地，活动空间
space to move around in
We were tightly squashed in at dinner, with very little elbow room. 吃晚饭时，我们一个紧挨一个在餐桌旁就坐，挤得几乎一点空都没有。
行动的自由
freedom to do what you want
At first the management gave the new director plenty of elbow room. 最初，管理层给了新主管足够的自主行事空间。