What's the English idiom for wanting something without the effort necessary to get it? [closed]

"You can't have your cake and eat it, too."

"You can't have your cake and eat it, too" is a saying that describes the dilemma faced when you want one thing very much, but you are not willing to give up other things in order to have it. (Source: wordreference.com)

Wikipedia also lists Wasch mir den Pelz, aber mach mich nicht nass – wash my fur but don't get me wet as the German equivalent to "you can't have your cake and eat it, too."

That freeloader wants _____ to be handed to him [on a plate].

give/hand something to somebody on a plate : to let someone get something very easily, without having to work for it

You can't expect everything to be handed to you on a plate - you've got to make a bit of effort. — thefreedictionary.com

Three idioms come to mind:

You can't have your cake and eat it too

Incidently, the wikipedia page on this phrase lists "wash my fur but don't get me wet" as the German equivalent.

Less abstract, but most precise:

Wanting something for nothing

Cambridge dictionary - something for nothing

Also applicable, but less specific:

Wanting the best of both worlds

Cambridge dictionary - best of both worlds

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Although this is more of a response to wanting something for nothing, rather than meaning to want something for nothing

from wikipedia:

"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (alternatively, "There is no such thing as a free lunch" or other variants) is a popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain%27t_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch

Another related idiom is "free ride"

an opportunity or advantage that someone gets without having done anything to deserve it

Cambridge Dictionary , used for example in "He wants a free ride to success".

"Free ride" has similar connotations to "free lunch" and "something for nothing" mentioned in other answers.