Hobson's choice

== English == === Etymology === From Hobson + -’s + choice, widely claimed to have been named after Thomas Hobson (c. 1544–1631) of Cambridge, England, who rented horses and had an extensive stable, but is said to have required each customer to take the horse in the stall closest to the door, to prevent the best horses from always being chosen and becoming overused. The Oxford English Dictionary also suggests an alternative etymology based on a 1607 work, The Pleasant Conceites of Old Hobson, which refers to one William Hobson (died 1581), a haberdasher from London, who is said to have been unable to recognize his own horse, and so had the habit of waiting at stables until other people had claimed their horses as the one remaining had to be his. This story is most likely fictional as it is identical to one entitled “Of the Two Yong Men that Rode to Walsingham” in Mery Tales and Quick Answeres (1530). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌhɒbs(ə)nz ˈt͡ʃɔɪs/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌhɑbsənz ˈt͡ʃɔɪs/ Rhymes: -ɔɪs Hyphenation: Hob‧son’s choice === Noun === Hobson's choice (plural Hobson's choices) (idiomatic) A situation where a person is presented with the illusion of a free choice, but in reality there is only one option available: accepting the offer or having nothing at all. Synonym: nonchoice (by extension, loosely) A choice between several undesirable options; Sophie's choice. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma (Cockney rhyming slang) The voice. Synonym: (ellipsis) Hobson's ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== (illusion of free choice): beggars can't be choosers, take it or leave it (choice between undesirable options): between a rock and a hard place, between the devil and the deep blue sea, Thesaurus:in a dilemma === Notes === === References === === Further reading === Hobson's choice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “Hobson’s choice, n.”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “Hobson's (choice) n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present