But if you do not go to the movies with your girlfriend, she gets angry. If you refuse to work, your boss gets angry. But you have plans to go to a movie with your girlfriend.
It is often used to describe a difficult situation with few choices, none of them good.įor example, your boss may ask you to work late. Thus, a Hobson’s choice was really no choice.Īnother expression for having no real choice is between a rock and a hard place. Or, they could not take any horse at all. They could take the horse that was nearest the stable door.
So, he had a rule that prevented the students from riding his best horses. But, he did not really trust them to take good care of the horses. Mister Hobson often rented horses to the students at Cambridge University. Mister Hobson owned a stable of horses in Cambridge, England. The Hobson in the expression was Thomas Hobson. Its real meaning is to have no choice at all. It often is used to describe a difficult choice. One of these expressions is Hobson’s choice. Many of our expressions tell about this difficulty. Making choices is necessary, but not always easy. Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.
