tanstaafl
English
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TANSTAAFL¹
Where it comes from
Acronym, originating in the early 20th century, and popularized by Robert Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.
phrase tanstaafl · TINSTAAFL
- Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch: something advertised as being "free" will invariably have hidden costs. "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 cost
tanstaafl²
phrase
- Alternative letter-case form of TANSTAAFL 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?
Talk about this word "tanstaafl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tanstaafl. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. tanstaafl. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tanstaafl "tanstaafl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tanstaafl.Cite this
@misc{tanstaafl_2026,
title = {tanstaafl},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tanstaafl},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
