free lunch

free lunch
1. food provided without charge in some bars and saloons to attract customers.
2. Informal. something given with no expectation of repayment, service, responsibility, etc.: In politics there's no free lunch - everyone expects favors to be repaid.
[1835-45]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Free Lunch — A situation in which a good or service is received at no cost, with the true cost of the good or service ultimately borne by some party, which may even include the recipient. A free lunch was often offered during the 1800s to bar patrons who… …   Investment dictionary

  • free lunch —    The expression there s no such thing as a free lunch means that nothing is free. If somebody helps you, they always expect some form of payment in return.     If you accept his offer, he ll be forever asking you for favours. There s no such… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

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  • Free lunch (disambiguation) — Free lunch is an English expressionIt can also refer to:* Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense and Stick You With The Bill , a book by David Cay Johnston * The Free Lunch, a novel by Spider Robinson *… …   Wikipedia

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