Hobb's Choice

[tsdragon]

My father frequently used the expression "Hobb's choice" to mean a situation where you have a choice between two or more options, none of which are particularly attractive. I picked up the expression from him and have been using it for decades, but never knew just where it came from. Well, the subject came up this morning and I tried to find the origin of the expression. Seems that a lot of people use it, but I couldn't find a single explanation of where the expression comes from. Any ideas?

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[AngelB]

Hi Tracy

There is something similar in Britain called 'Hobson's Choice', but this usually refers to having just the one choice and no alternative. Have a look here for an explanation of it's origin.


Geraint

The lights are on but nobody's home, my elevator doesn't go to the top. I'm not playing with a full deck, I've lost my marbles. Barenaked Ladies - Crazy

 

[KenCunningham]

Tracy, I know it as 'Hobson's Choice' if that helps at all. One explanation is here:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/183300.html

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[KenCunningham]

Ah Geraint of the flying fingers is it? ;-)

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[strongm]

As with others, "Hobson's Choice" is the version of this phrase that I know. Given that it derives from a Mr Hobson and some horses I'd suggest that "Hob's Choice" is a transcription error ...

 

[AngelB]

Sorry Ken!


Geraint

The lights are on but nobody's home, my elevator doesn't go to the top. I'm not playing with a full deck, I've lost my marbles. Barenaked Ladies - Crazy

 

[tsdragon]

I probably misremembered it; I haven't used it in quite a while (and my memory is going, I think). Apparently a lot of other people also misremembered it - when I googled "hobb's choice" and "hobbs choice" I got a huge number of hits, most of which used it in the sense that I learned (as a dilemma).

I also found a number of usages of "Hobsian Choice", which not only isn't a proper derivatioin of "Hobson's Choice", but strikes me a being a little too affected.



Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Lightning]

Tracy

Hob is an old english (middle ages, I think) nickname for the Devil. So "Hob's Choice" would translate as "The Devil's Choice", or a not very pleasant option.

But I can't find anything online to bear this out.

Lightning

 

[tsdragon]

That was my initial guess as to the origin as well, but I couldn't find anything to bear it out either. Unfortunately, google and the other search engines returned so many entries using the expression that if there were any about the expression they were lost in the noise. It's one of the biggest complaints I have about internet search engines - lack of contextual search tools.

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Dagon]

As a point of interest, there is a very old but excellent film called Hobson's Choice:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047094/

The lead character was a cobbler called Hobson. I'd always thought the expression might have come from this (or maybe an earlier book or play that it was based on). However, it is clear the expression pre-dates the film.

 

[Foamcow]

My book of English idioms cites the man who rented out horses story.

<honk>*:O)</honk>
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[ChrisHunt]

Dagon, the (very old?) 1954 film is a version of a play written by Harold Brighouse in 1916. The phrase existed before the play though.

I've not heard "Hobb's choice" before, but maybe it's a phrase restricted to our American cousins?

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[Foamcow]

Isn't Hob's choice something to do with buying a new kitchen?

<honk>*:O)</honk>
Designease Ltd. - polyprop folders, ring binders and creative presentation ideas
Earl & Thompson Marketing - Marketing Agency Services in Gloucestershire

 

[Dagon]

..the (very old?) 1954 film ...

I don't personally think it is that old, but you do get people on these forums who think the 1980s is ancient history, so I didn't want to shock them too much.

 

[tsdragon]

Out of curiousity about the nationality of those using "Hobb's Choice" I googled the term again (with and without the apostrophe). I only got 199 hits and most of those referred to the choice(s) of someone actually names "Hobbs" in the sense of "these are Hobb's picks". The few that were misuses of the term "Hobson's choice" were, as you say, primarily American, with a few European thrown in. Not nearly as many as I thought. (The first entry on the list, by the way, is this thread.)

I'm guess that I meant "Hobson's Choice" to start with, but my memory was a little fuzzy. When it came up here at work I told my boss the term was either "Hobb's choice" or "Hobson's choice" but I couldn't remember for sure which. Naturally I picked the wrong one.

After googling the proper term it appears to me that usage is about evenly split between the original sense of "this or nothing", and the sense that I learned of "no desirable choice". Merriam Webster actually lists both meanings, as do a few other resources.

Thanks for all the input. I'll update my memory banks so I won't get it wrong again.

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Gooser]

Well, if the steed he's offering is a swayback, half-blind, knock-kneed, 5-year-old, over-studded(?) stud, and of course, your other choice is walking in the streets of 16th century Cambridge, perhaps your idea of 'no desirable choice' fits the bill perfectly.

--Gooser