Basically means "what ever you do there is a price to pay"...
"I heard they are giving out free CDs in Tesco"
"tanstaaffl"
"I heard they are giving out free CDs in Tesco"
"tanstaaffl"
by tomthecool August 18, 2007
Get the tanstaaffl mug.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"
Accredited to author Robert A. Heinlein in his novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"
TANSTAAFL is the golden rule.
by Depherios November 15, 2003
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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.
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
Fred: WTF!? My stay was comped, but at checkout they charged me 4 the cable, phone, and internet!
Barney: TANSTAAFL
by Guesty Sueless May 31, 2010
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/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.
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."
"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."
by somnambulist June 11, 2006
Get the TNSTAAFL mug.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.
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
Teacher: TANSTAAFL
by JBLuverxo<3 November 18, 2011
Get the TANSTAAFL mug.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.
by Jim Downard October 4, 2003
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