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The phrase is said to have originated with Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), a livery stable owner in Cambridge, England, who offered customers the choice of either taking the horse in his stall nearest to the door or taking none at all.
The meaning of HOBSON'S CHOICE is an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative. How to use Hobson's choice in a sentence. Did you know?
Hobson's choice is a phrase that means no real choice at all, only accept or refuse. It may have come from a 17th century horse dealer named Thomas Hobson, but there are other theories and alternative expressions.
Hobson's choice definition: 1. a situation in which it seems that you can choose between different things or actions, but there…. Learn more.
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Aug 28, 2014 · Learn the meaning and origin of the phrase "Hobson's choice", which means being given two options when there is only one. See how to use it in sentences and compare it with other idioms.
the choice of taking what is offered or nothing at all, in reality no choice at all: It’s Hobson’s choice really, as this is the only room they have empty at the moment. This expression refers to a 17th-century Cambridge man, Tobias Hobson, who hired out horses; he would give his customers the ‘choice’ of the horse nearest the stable ...
A Hobson's choice is something that appears to be a free choice, but is really no choice as there is no genuine alternative.
