Hobson

/ˈhɒbsən/ noun

Definition

Typically a surname, most famously associated with 'Hobson's choice' meaning no real choice at all.

Etymology

English surname meaning 'son of Hob' (nickname for Robert). The phrase 'Hobson's choice' comes from Thomas Hobson (1544-1631), a Cambridge stable keeper who made customers take the horse nearest the door.

Kelly Says

Thomas Hobson's business practice of rotating horses to ensure equal use created a lasting idiom about false choice, showing how one person's practical solution can become part of language forever.

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