Hobsons choice: No choice
Hobsons gave no one any choice at all. Thats the real meaning of the phrase. Thomas Hudson was the owner of a livery stable in 17th century England. He loved his horses and made a great fetish of seeing to it that each horse was hired in turn. A customer who didn't happen to care for the animal that was offered him was forced to accept or do without his ride for the day. If someone , then should offer you Hobsons choice it means that you must accept the thing offered or settle for
nothing at all.
Meaning: The absence of real alternative
Synonyms:Catch-22, between Scylla andCharybdis, between a rock and a hard place,between the hammer and the anvil, between twofires, cornered, in a dilemma, in a pickle, in apredicament, in the middle, no choice, sitting on a powder keg