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The Kitchen Table

Phrase of the day 2/2

jim_1 (Zone 5B)

5 years ago

Hobson’s choice

Toward the end of the 16th century, one Thomas Hobson operated the leading livery stable in the university town of Cambridge, England. Devoted to the welfare of his horses, he established a firm rule that each customer in turn must take the horse nearest the door when he arrived. He tolerated no picking and choosing, insisting that this strict order of rotation be followed. Thus, when someone offered you Hobson’s choice, you were actually being offered no choice at all.

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Comments (3)

HU-681687602
5 years ago
Well, I have a Hobson's choice! There was some tinkering with my computer and my login info to the Kitchen Table was deleted and now I can't get back in under my Stacey_mb user name. So either I don't participate on this site at all or, Hobson's choice, I do participate but no choice but to accept the anonymous numbered identity Houzz has assigned to me instead of my own name.
Lars
5 years ago
I don't think I would have liked Hobson - thanks for the warning. Fortunately, I've never heard this term before.

When we rented horses in Costa Rica, the stable owner gave the biggest and strongest horse to the heaviest person and the smallest horse to the lightest person.
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maire_cate
5 years ago
I did hear that phrase once - it was in a novel that I was reading but I was too lazy to look it up. Thanks for the explanation.

Oh Stacey - I feel for you. I recently received a new laptop and I was afraid that somehow I would lose my log in info. But the data transfer went through and I'm still me - at least here.

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