English idiom

no free lunch

Register · Neutral CEFR B1

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Figurative meaning

everything has a cost; you cannot get something for nothing

Why this phrase?

From the free lunches once offered in saloons to attract drinkers: nothing is truly free.

Example

“There's no free lunch with index speed — writes get slower.”

Dictionary details

Alternate forms

there's no such thing as a free lunch

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

easier said than done

Something that sounds simple to do but is actually hard.

pipe dream

an unrealistic hope or plan that will almost certainly never happen

double-edged sword

something that has both great benefits and serious risks

technical debt

the long-term cost of choosing quick, messy solutions over careful ones

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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