2006-11-17 10:39:59 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
I think you mean "Hobson's choice". This originated from a Thomas Hobson (1544-1630) who ran a stable in Cambridge, England.
He gave you the choice of hiring the horse nearest the door, or no horse at all.
This now means you have to take whatever is offered to you, or nothing.
2006-11-17 10:47:15 · answer #1 · answered by cloud43 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I can't help you with the origins. But it means that one faces a situation where no choice is a good one. Any and all options lead to a bad result.
Another way of stating this is the old saying, "Damned if you do and damned if you don't."
One such choice is expressed as "Out of the frying pan and into the fire." Neither option is a good one.
2006-11-17 18:49:00 · answer #2 · answered by Vince M 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋