"TANSTAAFL" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Acronym, originating in the early 20th century, and popularized by Robert Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "TANSTAAFL",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "something advertised as being \"free\" will invariably have hidden costs",
          "word": "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1966, Robert Heinlein, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress",
          "text": "\"Gospodin,\" he said presently, \"you used an odd word earlier--odd to me, I mean...\"\n\"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.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1985, Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, page 229",
          "text": "'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.'",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1985, David Allen Baldwin, “National Power and Economic Statecraft”, in Economic Statecraft, page 140",
          "text": "The TANSTAAFL principle applies to all techniques of statecraft, not just the economic ones.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015, Bob McCarthy, “Calibration”, in Sound System Design and Optimization, page 433",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch; something advertised as being \"free\" will invariably have hidden costs."
      ],
      "id": "en-TANSTAAFL-en-phrase-BNnLLn72",
      "links": [
        [
          "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch",
          "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "tanstaafl"
        },
        {
          "english": "there is no such thing as a free lunch",
          "word": "TINSTAAFL"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "acronym",
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein",
        "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "TANSTAAFL"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Acronym, originating in the early 20th century, and popularized by Robert Heinlein's novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "TANSTAAFL",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "something advertised as being \"free\" will invariably have hidden costs",
          "word": "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English acronyms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English phrases",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1966, Robert Heinlein, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress",
          "text": "\"Gospodin,\" he said presently, \"you used an odd word earlier--odd to me, I mean...\"\n\"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.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1985, Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, page 229",
          "text": "'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.'",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1985, David Allen Baldwin, “National Power and Economic Statecraft”, in Economic Statecraft, page 140",
          "text": "The TANSTAAFL principle applies to all techniques of statecraft, not just the economic ones.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015, Bob McCarthy, “Calibration”, in Sound System Design and Optimization, page 433",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Acronym of there ain't no such thing as a free lunch; something advertised as being \"free\" will invariably have hidden costs."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch",
          "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "acronym",
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein",
        "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "tanstaafl"
    },
    {
      "english": "there is no such thing as a free lunch",
      "word": "TINSTAAFL"
    }
  ],
  "word": "TANSTAAFL"
}