Abbreviation

A common shorthand for the colloquialism "There ain't no such things as a free lunch" implying that anything, as free as it may appear, has a real hidden cost.

(SMS)

Fred: WTF!? My stay was comped, but at checkout they charged me 4 the cable, phone, and internet!

Barney: TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL by Guesty Sueless May 31, 2010

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tanstaafl

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

tanstaafl by Flamin Homer May 31, 2003

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TNSTAAFL

/TAN-staf-ful/ intj,n,v: "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Coined from Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land." Ended up on the Martian flag.

Also appears in several other Heinlein novels, including "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," where all restaurants served the meal free, but charged heftily for beverages, etc.

More widely used around the time the book was first published, but can still be found circulating in dark basement apartments and gaming stores everywhere.

"I told you she'd be wanting payback for those smokes, man. TNSTAAFL."

"I answered that ad for a free RAZR and now all I get in my inbox is spam. TNSTAAFL strikes again."

"That new pizza joint totally TNSTAAFLed us."

TNSTAAFL by somnambulist June 11, 2006

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TANSTAAFL

T.here A.in't N.o S.uch T.hing A.s A. F.ree L.unch
Something advertised as being "free" will invariably have hidden costs.

Kid: Woah, why does Facebook have a whole bunch of Ads on their site all of a sudden?
Teacher: TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL by JBLuverxo<3 November 18, 2011

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