Hobson's choice
/ˈhɒbs(ə)nz
/noun
A choice of taking what is available or nothing at all: the regional council must decide whether a private toll bridge is better than no bridge at all—it’s a Hobson’s choice...
- Hence, a Hobson's choice was not a choice at all.
- But Hobson's choice is no choice.
- The choices they made were mostly Hobson's choices.
Origin
Mid 17th century: named after Thomas Hobson (1554–1631), a Cambridge carrier who hired out horses, giving the customer the ‘choice’ of the one nearest the door or none at all.
- well day
- well-dealt
- well deck
- well-decked
- well-decker
- well-defenced
- well-defended
- well defined
- well-delivered
- well-demeaned
- well-derived
- well-descended
- well-deserved
- well-deserving
- well designed
- well-desired
- well-determined
- well-developed
- well-devised
- well-dieted
- well-digested
- well-digger
- well-directed
- well-disciplined
- well-disguised