Search results
A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available. The best known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leave it", wherein "leaving it" is strongly undesirable.
To correct the situation, Hobson began a strict rotation system, giving each customer the choice of taking the horse nearest the stable door or none at all. This rule became known as Hobson's choice, and soon people were using that term to mean "no choice at all" in all kinds of situations.
When the only options are either accept what is offered or refuse it, we have ‘Hobson’s choice’. The expression is effectively the same as ‘take it or leave it’. The expression is best known in the UK, but became used worldwide following the successful eponymous 1954 film starring Charles Laughton.
Hobson's Choice: Directed by David Lean. With Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda de Banzie, Daphne Anderson. Widower Henry Hobson refuses to let his three daughters get married because he doesn't want to pay settlements, so they'll just have to outsmart him.
Hobson's choice definition: 1. a situation in which it seems that you can choose between different things or actions, but there…. Learn more.
Hobson's choice. A choice that represents no choice at all; an enforced decision. The term supposedly originated with the practice of a Cambridge, England, carrier named Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), who insisted that his customers take whichever horse was nearest the stable door.
A Hobson's choice is something that appears to be a free choice, but is really no choice as there is no genuine alternative.
