tanstaafl
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch: something advertised as being "free" will invariably have hidden costs.
phrase
Alternative letter-case form of TANSTAAFL.
Example Sentences
- ""Gospodin," he said presently, "you used an odd word earlier--odd to me, I mean..." "Oh, 'tanstaafl.' Means 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.' And isn't," I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, "or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless.""
- "'Tanstaafl. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. We both know that I was brought here for a reason. If we could get down to business.'"
- "The TANSTAAFL principle applies to all techniques of statecraft, not just the economic ones."
- "The TANSTAAFL principle will come into play with each implementation of a calibration setting. There are no effects without side-effects. An improvement at one location will change others."
- "Hadn't realized “Free Luna” was going to have taxes. Hadn't had any before and got along. You paid for what you got. Tanstaafl. How else?"
Etymology
Acronym, originating in the early 20th century, and popularized by Robert Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.