choose your poison

1. Tell me what alcoholic beverage you would like to drink. I'm buying the first round—choose your poison. A: "Hi there, could I get something to drink?" B: "Of course you can. Choose your poison." A: "And for you, sir? Choose your poison." B: "Oh gosh, can I see a drinks menu?"

2. You have to choose between two or more options, often undesirable ones. A: "Should I order the parts and try rebuilding the computer myself, or just take it to a computer shop and have them fix it?" B: "Choose your poison, really. You might save some money doing it yourself, but it's going to be a massive pain the neck." We have so many stellar forwards on the team this year that we have a great player available for any situation. As a coach, it's rare that you get to choose your poison like that. One way or another, you're gonna help me with this yardwork, so choose your poison—mowing the lawn or trimming the hedges.