Crossword Genius

Latitude with lavish downpours, do we hear? (4,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

free rein

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'downpours do we hear?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'latitude with lavish' is the wordplay.
'latitude' becomes 'rein' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'lavish' becomes 'free' (I've seen this before).
'rein' put after 'free' is 'FREE REIN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for free rein that I've seen before include "'The removal of constraints (4,4)'" , "Carte blanche" , "Unlimited scope for action" , "Give it to remove all constraints" , "Liberty over actions" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.