TISNTAAFL

Name: TISNTAAFL Mug
Brand: Urban Dictionary
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There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

Meaning that nothing is free because someone, not always you, has to pay for it.

In government, Coach said "TISNTAAFL" to answer the question. Everyone wasn't shocked. It was in our notes!

TISNTAAFL by ShadowWalker1 November 13, 2011

Words you can keep

TANSTAAFL

Acronym for: "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Accredited to author Robert A. Heinlein in his novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"

TANSTAAFL is the golden rule.

TANSTAAFL by Depherios November 15, 2003

Related Words

TISNTAAFL • tinstaafl • tanstaafl • TINSTAFL • TNSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL

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

tanstaafl

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

tanstaafl by Flamin Homer May 31, 2003

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

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

tinstaafl

there is no such thing as a free lunch; for everything everywhere, someone somewhere had to work for it

When Bob tried to get away with cheating on his math test, his teacher said, "Tinstaafl," and gave him a score of zero.

tinstaafl by Jim Downard October 4, 2003

board chow

A)
The Crud that collects under the keys in a keyboard. Usually more severe in the keyboards of programmers and webmasters as they tend to spend a lot of time at the the computer and thus eat at their desk. Mainly affecting IBM Model M (clicly) style boards.

B)
Can also be used to gross out Non-Techie people

A)
Bill: want to go to the club?
Bob: No, I've got to clean out my board chow, keys are starting to stick.

B)
Bill: Want to go out to get a bite?
Bob: No, i am just going to have some of my board chow/
Bill: Whats' that?
Bob: The food scraps that collect in my keyboard; Want some?
Bill: *GAG* *HURL* *GAG*

board chow by BinaryHackerMan September 3, 2007

Word of the Day on August 26, 2026

young pup

a young person, a young adult in their late teens/early 20s.

Ah, you're just a young pup at 23!

young pup by the dog May 30, 2006

Word of the Day on August 25, 2026

grebo

West Midlands slang word for rockers, bikers, greasers etc. In the late 1980s it was used by the UK music press to refer to a specific scene centered around the bands Pop Will Eat Itself and Crazyhead. The term never found favour with readers of 'the inkies' (Sounds, Melody Maker and the still extant NME) and was soon dropped. Now often used in predominantly working-class areas of the midlands and the north to mean someone who listens to rock-derived music and/or dresses in a manner that suggests they affiliate themselves with rock music of some kind.

Some grebo passed with Sabbath playing on his stereo.
The Poppies are at no. 17? God, a grebo band in the charts!
They're playing nu-metal now, bloody grebos!

grebo by cactuscat September 15, 2006

Word of the Day on August 24, 2026

TikTok Farlands

TikTok Farlands is a term to refer to videos that you see after scrolling for a long time. These videos can potentially be disturbing, or weird. Said videos can also have low likes, or low comments.

“I reached the TikTok Farlands bro”

TikTok Farlands by PINES FAMILY TORTURER July 24, 2026

Word of the Day on August 23, 2026

mormon assault vehicle

another term for a station wagon, mini-van, or any other kind of vehicle that is targeted at the "family" demographic(also M.A.V.)

"Tactical advantages aside, the M.A.V. is top of the line for the holy warrior troop transport manufactured by the Church of Latter Day Saints Military Industrial Complex. Also great for family trips...to heathen lands."

mormon assault vehicle by KVRX January 10, 2005

Word of the Day on August 22, 2026

Shakira Law

A version of "Sharia Law" that Reform Ltd supporters tend to refer to, often by mistake.

Richard Tice of Reform now lives in Dubai, under Shakira Law, although telling Brits that we should worry about it

Shakira Law by Reformltd February 16, 2025

Word of the Day on August 21, 2026