Hobson's choice Hear it!

Hobson's choice definition

Hob·son's choice (häb′sənz)

a choice of taking what is offered or nothing at all; lack of an alternative

Etymology: after T. Hobson (1544?-1631), of Cambridge, England, who owned livery stables and let horses in strict order according to their position near the door

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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