hobson's choice

Meanings

• Noun

  A situation in which an individual has no acceptable or desirable alternatives.

  - "After losing his job, John was faced with a hobson's choice between moving back in with his parents or becoming homeless."
  - "The hobson's choice given to the prisoner was between a long sentence or the death penalty."

---

Rhymes

Words rhyming with hobson's choice
choice , voice , joice , noise , poise

---

Variants

List of all variants of hobson's choice that leads to same result
Hobson's choice , hobson's choices

---

Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

The term 'hobson's choice' originated from a 17th-century English sea captain named Hobson, who reportedly owned the only horse on an island. Passengers were forced to pay his price or go without transportation.

---

Trivia

Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

1. The term 'hobson's choice' has been used in various fields, including mathematics and economics.

2. In mathematics, a hobson's choice is a set of non-empty subsets of a finite set, such that the union of any two subsets is not the entire set.

3. In economics, a hobson's choice is a situation where an individual must choose between two or more unfavorable alternatives due to market conditions.

---

Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. Dilemma: A dilemma is a situation where an individual is forced to make a decision between two or more undesirable options.

2. Catch-22: A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation where an individual cannot progress or solve a problem without first fulfilling a contradictory requirement.

---

Culture

Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

The term 'hobson's choice' has been used extensively in literature, including works by Shakespeare and Dickens, to describe a situation where one is forced to make an unpalatable decision.

How to Memorize "hobson's choice"

1. visualize
   

   - Imagine a person standing in front of a fork in the road, with one path leading to a desirable outcome and the other to an undesirable one. Visualize the person weighing the pros and cons of each path before making a decision.

2. associate
   

   - Associate the term 'hobson's choice' with the image of a captain named Hobson and his horse on an island.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Remember the phrase 'Hobson's horrible horrible choice' to help remember the definition.

---

Memorize "hobson's choice" using Dictozo

The best and recommended way to memorize hobson's choice is, by using Dictozo. Just save the word in Dictozo extension and let the app handle the rest. It enhances the memorization process in two ways:

1. Highlighting:

   Whenever users encounters the saved word on a webpage, Dictozo highlights it, drawing the user's attention and reinforcing memorization.
2. Periodic Reminders:

   Dictozo will send you periodic reminders to remind you the saved word, it will ask you quiz. These reminders could be in the form of notifications or emails, prompting users to recall and reinforce their knowledge.