TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

TANSTAAFL [1 record]

Record 1 1995-11-29

English

Subject field(s)
  • Special-Language Phraseology
  • Internet and Telematics
DEF

Acronym from Robert Heinlein's classic "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", often invoked when balking at the poor quality of some piece of software, or at the signal-to-noise ratio of unmoderated USENET newsgroups.

CONT

(...) the purpose of this book (...) is to expound a constructive strategy of its own for coping with the environmental crisis. The fundamental principle on which this strategy is built may be expressed in a simple slogan - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch - the "TANSTAAFL principle", for short.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phraséologie des langues de spécialité
  • Internet et télématique
OBS

Cette formule lapidaire correspond bien à l'idée exprimée par la vedette anglaise.

Spanish

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