Hobson's choice

English

Etymology

Named after Thomas Hobson (1544–1631) of Cambridge, England, who rented horses and had an extensive stable of some 40 horses. This gave the appearance to his customers that, upon entry, they would have their choice of mounts, when in fact there was only one: Hobson required his customers to take the horse in the stall closest to the door. This was to prevent the best horses from always being chosen, which would have caused those horses to become overused.

Pronunciation

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Noun

Hobson's choice (plural Hobson's choices)

1. A choice in which it seems that one has multiple options, but only one good thing is actually offered; a choice of the form "take it or leave it".
   • 1847, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 23, in The Crater:

     When Hobson's choice is placed before one, deliberation is of no great use.

   • 1887, George Bernard Shaw, chapter 5, in An Unsocial Socialist:

     In other words, they might go to the devil and starve—Hobson's choice!—for all the other factories were owned by men who offered no better terms.

   • 2009 November 20, Stephen King, “Raymond Carver’s Life and Stories”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     This Hobson’s choice is the beating heart of “Raymond Carver: A Writer’s Life.” Any writer might wonder what he’d do in such a case.

   • 2011 January 13, Lawrence Wright, “Lebanon’s Tragic Hero”, in The New Yorker‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-03:

     Such Hobson's choices are the stuff of high drama, but unfortunately for poor, lovely Lebanon it is a tragedy that never seems to end.

   • 2022, Stephen King, chapter 8, in Fairy Tale, page 132:

     "Hobson's Choice." He was still stroking Radar, long glides of his hand from nape to tail. "In the end, it seems to me that one or two good months are better than six bad ones. If it works at all, that is."

2. (Cockney rhyming slang) The voice.

   Synonym: (ellipsis) Hobson's

   • 1959, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, Hancock's Half Hour; quoted in Green's Dictionary of Slang‎^[3], n.d.:

     'He's claiming copyright on his hobson's.' 'I beg your pardon.' 'His hobson's choice — his voice'.

Related terms

• non-choice, nonchoice
• Sophie's choice

See also

• cut the Gordian knot
• take it or leave it

 

References

• Jonathon Green (2024) “Hobson's (choice) n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Further reading

• “Hobson's choice”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• Hobson's choice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia