>>>>>
TANSTAAFL>>>>
>>>>But I wasn't asking for a thing which is similar or almost identical (as in "thing such as") to a free lunch. Nor were the users who got unpaid work done.
>>>>
>>>>Come to think of it, that mysterious free lunch must be an unique phenomenon in this universe. Nothing is said about its existence, only about this thing which is "such as" it. Hmmm... mystery indeed. Why the circumspect language?
>>>
>>>Means: There is nothing unpaid. Somebody always pays.
>>>
>>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain%27t_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch>>
>>That's what it's supposed to mean, but then "there's no free lunch" would mean the same. Why the circumspect language?
>
>Do you realy ask me why? Oh IPU! My native language is that of the ore montains in saxony. I have problems with german - sometimes. Do you realy hink I care why americans do something they do with there language? In my developers mind it's a double not, but then there is no sense at all in it.
Ah, the question was more rhetorical, and incidentally addressed to you as my only remaining comrade in this conundrum. I was indeed addressing a wider audience, and you were the only one left, and now you've left too...
That's the usual result of trying to fathom the reasons why something is this way and not that way in english... well, at least I wasn't alone all the way. Thanks for staying with me this long.