All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
Theme name plus one word from each category.
BLANK CHECK, CARTE BLANCHE, FREE REIGN, and FULL AUTHORITY all mean having complete, unrestricted permission or power to act as one wishes.
CARD SLOT, HEADPHONE JACK, OPTICAL DRIVE, and USB PORT are all physical ports or openings on a computer used to insert devices or media.
ATM MACHINE (Automated Teller Machine Machine), LCD DISPLAY (Liquid Crystal Display Display), PIN NUMBER (Personal Identification Number Number), and UPC CODE (Universal Product Code Code) all redundantly repeat the last word of the abbreviation.
COURT SCRIBE ends in SCRIBE (to mark/engrave), DIRECTOR'S CUT ends in CUT, PIZZA SLICE ends in SLICE, and SAT SCORE ends in SCORE (to scratch a line into a surface) — all words that mean to carve or cut a surface.