"power of the pencil" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
      },
      "expansion": "power of the pencil",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Gambling",
          "orig": "en:Gambling",
          "parents": [
            "Games",
            "Recreation",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, Barry Sinkow, The Count $ in Monte Carlo: An Insider's Look at Casino Life, page 182",
          "text": "In the casino business, they call it the power of the pencil. As casino host I had the ability to sign away a guest's restaurant tabs, wipe out all room or suite charges, give away almost any casino and hotel bills.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Time Out Las Vegas, page 24",
          "text": "Mafia pit bosses had the 'power of the pencil' to hand out free rooms, food and beverages at their discretion, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The authority to charge a punter's gambling or other bills to the casino."
      ],
      "id": "en-power_of_the_pencil-en-noun-1h8MyysJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "gambling",
          "gambling#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "authority",
          "authority"
        ],
        [
          "charge",
          "charge"
        ],
        [
          "punter",
          "punter"
        ],
        [
          "bill",
          "bill"
        ],
        [
          "casino",
          "casino"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(gambling) The authority to charge a punter's gambling or other bills to the casino."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "gambling",
        "games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "power of the pencil"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
      },
      "expansion": "power of the pencil",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English nouns with unknown or uncertain plurals",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "en:Gambling"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, Barry Sinkow, The Count $ in Monte Carlo: An Insider's Look at Casino Life, page 182",
          "text": "In the casino business, they call it the power of the pencil. As casino host I had the ability to sign away a guest's restaurant tabs, wipe out all room or suite charges, give away almost any casino and hotel bills.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Time Out Las Vegas, page 24",
          "text": "Mafia pit bosses had the 'power of the pencil' to hand out free rooms, food and beverages at their discretion, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The authority to charge a punter's gambling or other bills to the casino."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "gambling",
          "gambling#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "authority",
          "authority"
        ],
        [
          "charge",
          "charge"
        ],
        [
          "punter",
          "punter"
        ],
        [
          "bill",
          "bill"
        ],
        [
          "casino",
          "casino"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(gambling) The authority to charge a punter's gambling or other bills to the casino."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "gambling",
        "games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "power of the pencil"
}