proverb🎓 English idiom

there's no such thing as a free lunch

everything has a hidden cost

What it means

Nothing is truly free; everything that seems free actually has a hidden cost or obligation attached. It reminds people to be sceptical of offers that appear to cost nothing.

Examples

  • The 'free' trial needs your card details, so there's no such thing as a free lunch.
  • They offered free shares, but there's no such thing as a free lunch.
  • Remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch when a stranger is this generous.
  • The gift came with strings attached, proving there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Where it comes from

The phrase echoes the 19th-century American saloon practice of offering 'free' food to drinkers, and was popularised in economics in the 20th century, notably by Milton Friedman.

Related idioms

#pay through the nose#cost an arm and a leg#make ends meet#don't put all your eggs in one basket

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