There's no such thing as a free lunch In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "there's no such thing as a free lunch", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

Eudora Thao

2021-03-14 08:03

Meaning of There's no such thing as a free lunch (redirected from There's no such thing as a free lunch (Tanstaafl) )

Synonyms:

Have one's cake and eat it too , The Free Lunch Is Over (computing) , No Free Lunch (organization) , No-arbitrage bounds

There's no such thing as a free lunch (Tanstaafl) American saying

The economic theory, as well as the lay opinion, that whatever goods and services are supplied, someone has to pay for them - that is, you don't get anything for nothing. The phrase is also recognized by the acronym 'There is no such thing as a free lunch' - tanstaafl.

This saying means you cannot get something without losing something else.

This month, when the incentive was paid out, the company asked the staff to work overtime. There's no such thing as lunch for free.

When we go out, I am very careful to pay for my share of food because there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Origin of There's no such thing as a free lunch (Tanstaafl)

By the 1930s, the phrase was in use, but its first appearance is not known. The "free lunch" in the proverb refers to the formerly common practice of offering a "free lunch" in American bars to attract drinking customers.