HOBSON'S CHOICE


Meaning of HOBSON'S CHOICE in English

/hob"seuhnz/

the choice of taking either that which is offered or nothing; the absence of a real alternative.

[ 1640-50; after Thomas Hobson (1544-1631), of Cambridge, England, who rented horses and gave his customer only one choice, that of the horse nearest the stable door ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .