ProverbWisdomSpanish origin

Nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas

Meaning: If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Literally: Nobody gives duros for four pesetas

Example: “¿Un piso en el centro a ese precio? Nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas.” — An apartment downtown at that price? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Equivalents in English, Japanese, and German

  • English: There's no such thing as a free lunch
  • Japanese: ただより高いものはない (Tada yori takai mono wa nai) (literally: Nothing is more expensive than free)
  • German: Umsonst ist der Tod, und der kostet das Leben (literally: Only death is free, and it costs you your life)

Origin: A duro was a five-peseta coin: nobody sells one for four. The saying outlived the peseta, replaced by the euro in 2002.

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