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Meaning of TANSTAAFL | Babel Free

Phrase CEFR B2

Definitions

  1. Alternative letter-case form of TANSTAAFL.
    alt-of
  2. Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch: something advertised as being "free" will invariably have hidden costs.
    abbreviation, acronym, alt-of

Examples

“"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?”

CEFR level

B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.

See also

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