free lunch
noun
food provided without charge in some bars and saloons to attract customers.
Informal.
something given with no expectation of repayment, service, responsibility, etc.: In politics there's no free lunch—everyone expects favors to be repaid.
Origin of free lunch
First recorded in 1835–45
Words nearby free lunch
free kirk,
free labour,
free list,
free liver,
free love,
free lunch,
free macrophage,
free market,
free nerve endings,
free on board,
free on rail
Example sentences from the Web for free lunch
Idioms and Phrases with free lunch
free lunch
Something acquired without due effort or cost. For example, In politics there is no free lunch; every favor calls for repayment. This expression alludes to the custom of taverns offering food free of charge to induce customers to buy drinks. It was soon extended to other kinds of gift but is often used in a negative way, as in the example. [First half of 1800s]