Dictionary Word of the Day: Hobson's Choice
Friday, August 22, 2008 at 06:46AM Hobson's choice \HOB-suhnz-CHOIS\, noun:
A choice without an alternative; the thing offered or nothing.
The origin of the term Hobson's choice is said to be in the name of one Thomas Hobson (ca. 1544-1631), at Cambridge, England, who kept a livery stable and required every customer to take either the horse nearest the stable door or none at all.
Oh, where was this word when my boys were growing up?! I applied Hobson's choice frequently when it came to bedtime, dinner time, and 'time to come in from play and get a bath.' It would have been nice if ol' Hobson had joined 'Mr. Sheets' our old across-the-street neighbor whose name eventually became a by-word in our family. When the boys had no answer for a question such as, "How in the world did you manage to get so dirty?," or "Where are your shoes?," their "I don't know's" were often followed by "Well, who should I ask, Mr. Sheets?"
Mr. Sheets and Hobson would have got along just fine, I'm thinking.
Reader Comments (2)
There was a Christmas movie ,made about 8-10 years ago called Hobson's Choice. It was set in the 1800's in New Orleans- I was excited to hear the history of the phrase! Thank s, Kim.
That's a fun one to know...