Hobson's ChoiceThe illusion of options in a 17th-century stable

From the show

History of Phrases

Thomas Hobson was a prosperous mail carrier and stable owner in Tudor-era Cambridge who refused to let customers pick their favorite horses. To preserve his livestock, he enforced a strict rotation system where patrons took the horse nearest the door or none at all. This specific business policy created the linguistic shorthand for a "take it or leave it" scenario.