choice
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be spoiled for choice
To have an abundance of suitable or ideal options from which to choose, such that it may be difficult to make a decision. Primarily heard in US. Between video games, television, and the Internet, kids these days are spoiled for choice when it comes to their entertainment. Our hotel was right in the midst of the city's finest restaurants, so whenever we wanted something to eat, we were spoiled for choice.
be spoilt for choice
To have an abundance of suitable or ideal options from which to choose, such that it may be difficult to make a decision. Primarily heard in UK. Between video games, television, and the Internet, kids these days are spoilt for choice when it comes to their entertainment. Our hotel was right in the midst of the city's finest restaurants, so whenever we wanted something to eat we were spoilt for choice.
beggars can't be choosers
You must accept that which is given to you, especially if you don't have the means to acquire it yourself. That dress wasn't exactly what I would have picked for myself, but, hey, it was free, and I'm broke right now. Beggars can't be choosers.
See also: beggar
by choice
Intentionally; based on one's own decision or interest. I know a lot of these volunteers are forced to be here, but I'm here by choice.
choice bit of calico
dated slang An attractive woman. Primarily heard in US. That dame's a choice bit of calico, ain't she, Jack?
drug of choice
1. An illicit substance one is addicted to or tends to prefer. I dabbled with a few different recreational drugs in college, but marijuana was my drug of choice.
2. The favored pharmaceutical treatment for a given medical condition or ailment. Lithium has long been the drug of choice for many physicians to treat depression and bipolar disorder.
3. By extension, any habit, activity, or vice that one is particularly fond of or dependent upon. A lot of people resort to drugs or alcohol to cope with their problems, but exercise has always been my drug of choice. Coffee became my drug of choice after working as a barista for three years during college.
Hobson's choice
1. Something that seems to be a choice but isn't. The phrase refers to British stable owner Thomas Hobson, who was known to act as though he only had one horse to rent to each patron, even when his stable was full. A: "This rental car is terrible." B: "Well, did you want to walk all the way from the airport to the hotel? It was Hobson's choice."
2. slang The voice. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "Hobson's choice" rhymes with "voice." In this usage, "choice" is usually capitalized. Primarily heard in UK. Her Hobson's Choice was as sweet as an angel's.
See also: choice
of (one's) choice
As chosen or desired by oneself, among all the options. My parents took me to the animal shelter and told me I could have the puppy of my choice.
(you) pay your money and take your choice
You are the one paying, so the decision about something is yours. (Often used to indicate that there is not a clear advantage to one choice over another.) A: "Do you think I should do the guided tour or rent a bicycle and explore the city myself?" B: "Pay your money and take your choice—you can't go wrong either way." You could opt for the model with the stronger CPU, or you could put that cost toward a bigger hard drive. You pay your money and take your choice.
spoiled for choice
Having an abundance of suitable or ideal options from which to choose, such that it may be difficult to make a decision. Primarily heard in US. Between video games, television, and the Internet, kids these days are being brought up spoiled for choice when it comes to their entertainment. Our hotel was right in the midst of the city's finest restaurants, so whenever we wanted something to eat, we were spoiled for choice.
spoilt for choice
Having an abundance of suitable or ideal options from which to choose, such that it may be difficult to make a decision. Primarily heard in UK. Between video games, television, and the Internet, kids these days are being brought up spoilt for choice when it comes to their entertainment. Our hotel was right in the midst of the city's finest restaurants, so whenever we wanted something to eat, we were spoilt for choice.
you pay your money, and you take your choice
You are the one paying, so the decision about something is yours. (Often used to indicate that there is not a clear advantage to one choice over another.) A: "Do you think I should do the guided tour or rent a bicycle and explore the city myself?" B: "You pay your money, and you take your choice. Both are good options, so it's up to you." You could opt for the model with the stronger CPU, or you could put that cost toward a bigger hard drive. You pay your money, and you take your choice.
you pays your money, and you takes your choice
You are the one paying, so the decision about something is yours. (Often used to indicate that there is not a clear advantage to one choice over another.) A: "Do you think I should do the guided tour or rent a bicycle and explore the city myself?" B: "You pays your money, and you takes your choice. Both are good options, so it's up to you." You could opt for the model with the stronger CPU, or you could put that cost toward a bigger hard drive. You pays your money, and you takes your choice.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Prov. If someone gives you something you asked for, you should not complain about what you get. I asked Joe to lend me his bicycle, and he sent me this old, rusty one. But beggars can't be choosers. Jill: Let me wear your green dress; I don't like the blue one you lent me. Jane: Beggars can't be choosers.
See also: Beggar
by choice
due to conscious choice; on purpose. I do this kind of thing by choice. No one makes me do it. I didn't go to this college by choice. It was the closest one to home.
Hobson's choice
the choice between taking what is offered and getting nothing at all. (From the name of a stable owner in the seventeenth century who always hired out the horse nearest the door.) We didn't really want that particular hotel, but it was a case of Hobson's choice. We booked very late and there was nothing else left. If you want a yellow car, it's Hobson's choice. The garage has only one.
See also: choice
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
beggars can't be choosers
Those in dire need must be content with what they get. For example, The cheapest model will have to do-beggars can't be choosers. This expression was familiar enough to be included in John Heywood's 1546 collection of proverbs.
See also: beggar
by choice
Deliberately, as a matter of preference. For example, No one told me to come; I'm here by choice. This expression replaced the earlier with choice, used from about 1500.
Hobson's choice
An apparently free choice that actually offers no alternative. For example, My dad said if I wanted the car I could have it tonight or not at all-that's Hobson's choice . This expression alludes to Thomas Hobson of Cambridge, England, who rented horses and allowed each customer to take only the horse nearest the stable door. [Mid-1600s]
See also: choice
of choice
Preferred above others, as in A strike is the union's weapon of choice. Used with other prepositions ( by, for, with), all meaning "by preference," this idiom dates from about 1300.
pay your money and take your choice
Also, you pays your money and takes your choice. Since you're paying, it's your decision, as in We can take the train or the bus-you pays your money and takes your choice. This term first appeared in the English humor magazine Punch in the mid-1800s and has been repeated ever since.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
beggars can't be choosers
You say beggars can't be choosers to mean that you should not reject an option if it is the only one which is available to you. Initially I'd take any job that was offered me — beggars can't be choosers. There are some apartments available, and beggars can't be choosers, but they're not very nice.
See also: beggar
Hobson's choice
mainly BRITISHYou can call a decision Hobson's choice when it forces you to choose something because in reality there is no other choice available. He was faced with a Hobson's choice between obedience and ruin, so he gave in to their demands. Only the satellite companies were offering enough money to screen the games, so it was Hobson's choice really. Note: This expression may refer to a man called Thomas Hobson, who earned money by hiring out horses at the end of the 16th century. He had a particular system for using each horse in turn, so a customer was given no choice, even if there were many horses available.
See also: choice
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
beggars can't be choosers
people with no other options must be content with what is offered. proverbSee also: beggar
Hobson's choice
no choice at all. Thomas Hobson , to whom this expression refers, was a carrier at Cambridge in the early 17th century, who would not allow his clients their own choice of horse from his stables as he insisted on hiring them out in strict rotation. They were offered the ‘choice’ of the horse nearest the door or none at all. Hobson's choice is also mid 20th-century British rhyming slang for voice .
See also: choice
you pays your money and you takes your choice
used to convey that there is little to choose between one alternative and another.Both pays and takes are non-standard, colloquial forms, retained from the original version of the saying in a Punch joke of 1846 .
be spoilt for choice
have so many attractive possibilities to choose from that it is difficult to make a selection. BritishFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˌbeggars can’t be ˈchoosers
(saying) when there is no choice, you have to be satisfied with whatever you can get: I would have preferred a bed, but beggars can’t be choosers so I slept on the sofa in the living room.See also: beggar
be spoilt/spoiled for ˈchoice
have so many opportunities or things to choose from that it is difficult to make a decision: I’ve had so many job offers that I’m spoilt for choice.by ˈchoice
because you have chosen: I wouldn’t go there by choice.of ˈchoice (for somebody/something)
(used after a noun) that is chosen by a particular group of people or for a particular purpose: It’s the software of choice for business use.of your ˈchoice
that you choose yourself: First prize will be a meal for two at the restaurant of your choice.ˌHobson’s ˈchoice
the choice of taking what is offered or nothing at all, in reality no choice at all: It’s Hobson’s choice really, as this is the only room they have empty at the moment.This expression refers to a 17th-century Cambridge man, Tobias Hobson, who hired out horses; he would give his customers the ‘choice’ of the horse nearest the stable door or none at all.See also: choice
you ˌpays your ˌmoney and you ˌtakes your ˈchoice
(saying) used to say that there is not much difference between two or more alternatives, so you should choose whichever you prefer: It’s hard to say which explanation is more likely; it’s more a matter of you pays your money and you takes your choice.The unusual grammar in this idiom copies the speech of showmen at a fairground.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
choice
mod. nice; cool. We had a choice time at Tom’s party.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
of choice
Preferred above others of the same kind or set: "the much used leveraged buyout as the weapon of choice" (Alison Leigh Cowan).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
beggars can't be choosers
Those in need must take whatever they can get. A proverb in John Heywood’s 1546 collection, this expression has been repeated ever since, with very little variation. A minor exception was Thomas Fuller’s version (Gnomologia, 1732), “Beggars and Borrowers must be no Chusers.”
See also: beggar
choice between (of) two evils, a
Two unpleasant alternatives. The full expression, “choose the lesser of two evils,” was already a proverb listed by John Heywood in 1546 and dates, in slightly different form, from Plato’s and Aristotle’s times. “Of harmes two, the lesse is for to chese,” wrote Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde. Since it is not always possible to decide between two such alternatives, C. H. Spurgeon may offer the best advice: “Of two evils, choose neither” (John Ploughman’s Talk, 1880).
Hobson's choice
A choice that represents no choice at all; an enforced decision. The term supposedly originated with the practice of a Cambridge, England, carrier named Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), who insisted that his customers take whichever horse was nearest the stable door. If they refused that horse, he would give them no other. Whether this origin is true or not, the term was adopted and appeared in print in several mid-seventeenth-century sources. It is heard less often today.
See also: choice
pay(s) your money and take(s) your choice, you
It’s your decision as long as you’re willing to pay the price. This term has been traced to the mid-nineteenth century, when it first appeared in print in the English humor magazine Punch. It also appeared in a late nineteenth-century peep-show rhyme cited in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations: “Whichever you please, my little dears: You pays your money and you takes your choice, You pays your money and what you sees Is a cow or a donkey just as you pleases.”
you pays your money and takes your choice
See pay your money and take your choice.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
Hobson's choice
No choice at all, take it or leave it. Thomas Hobson ran a livery stable in Cambridge, England, in the 16th century. He had a simple policy about renting out his horses: you took what he gave you or you went horseless (some accounts say he rented whichever animal was in the stall nearest the door). Hobson's spirit lives on in the joke about a passenger aboard El Al Airlines who asked the flight attendant what the choice of dinner was. She replied with a smile, “The choice is yes or no.”
See also: choice
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price