MemoHello
EN · C2 · idiom

Hobson's choice

Explore the meaning in context and practise the word or sentence.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

wybór bez rzeczywistej alternatywy

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Set up flashcard learning
Word by word

Voice analyzer

Listen, repeat and see which words were recognized as expected.

Flashcard #7452 · C2

Hobson's choice

Ready for your attempt

Preliminary recognized words

Start speaking — your text will appear here.

This preview may change. The score appears after the attempt ends.
Best score—
Attempts0
Streak ≥80%0

Checking recognition support…

Scores are saved only on this device. Audio is not stored.

Recognition may use the browser provider's servers and require internet. We use the default microphone.

This is agreement with recognized text. Missing words can be recognition errors; the score does not assess individual speech sounds.

How is the score calculated?

Exact words get full credit; similar words get partial credit. Missing, replaced and extra words lower the score. Excellent requires all words in the right order. The 60/80% thresholds are experimental.

Dialogues in context

EN · C2

The Only Slot

  1. A

    We can take Tuesday or give up.

    Możemy wybrać tylko wtorek albo zrezygnować.

  2. B

    That's Hobson's choice.

    To wybór bez rzeczywistej alternatywy.

  3. A

    Does Tuesday work for us?

    Wtorek nam pasuje?

  4. B

    I'll check the team schedule.

    Sprawdzę grafik zespołu.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

Translations

Polishwybór bez rzeczywistej alternatywyexpressionNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Germaneine Wahl ohne echte AlternativeexpressionNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Spanishuna elección sin alternativa realexpressionNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Russianвыбор без реальной альтернативыexpressionNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

Examples of use

Polish

Przyjęcie jedynego pokoju było wyborem bez alternatywy.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
English

Accepting the only available room was Hobson's choice.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
German

Das einzige Zimmer anzunehmen war eine Wahl ohne echte Alternative.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Spanish

Aceptar la única habitación era una elección sin alternativa real.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Russian

Принять единственную комнату означало выбор без реальной альтернативы.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

Grammar

idiom

Dictionary form
Hobson's choice
  • Learn this expression as a whole and use the example to understand its context.

Example

Accepting the only available room was Hobson's choice.

cut no ice

nie robić żadnego wrażenia

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
carry coals to Newcastle

wozić drzewo do lasu

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
cut the Gordian knot

przeciąć węzeł gordyjski

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
a straw in the wind

drobny znak przyszłych zmian

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
a fly in the ointment

drobna wada psująca całość

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
a snake in the grass

skryty zdrajca

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
When recognition becomes an end in itself, it is easy to lose sight of the cause it was meant to serve.

Gdy uznanie staje się celem samym w sobie, łatwo stracić z oczu sprawę, której miało służyć.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
This freedom is a double-edged sword: it allows action to be adapted to the situation but makes it harder to compare individuals' responsibilities.

Ta swoboda jest mieczem obosiecznym: pozwala dostosować działanie do sytuacji, ale utrudnia porównanie odpowiedzialności poszczególnych osób.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
The Achilles' heel of this plan is not a shortage of ideas but dependence on a single source of information whose reliability has not been checked.

Piętą achillesową tego planu jest nie brak pomysłów, lecz zależność od jednego źródła informacji, którego wiarygodności nie sprawdzono.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
A seemingly technical amendment may become a Trojan horse for a change whose consequences participants had no opportunity to discuss.

Pozornie techniczna poprawka może stać się koniem trojańskim dla zmiany, której skutków uczestnicy nie mieli możliwości przedyskutować.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Let us not cross the Rubicon through a careless statement; if this declaration closes the way back to our previous arrangements, it should be a deliberate decision.

Nie przekraczajmy Rubikonu przypadkowym komunikatem; jeśli ta deklaracja zamyka drogę do dotychczasowych ustaleń, powinna być świadomą decyzją.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
A vote of confidence is not a blank cheque: we still have to explain decisions that affect other people's responsibilities.

Kredyt zaufania nie jest zgodą na dowolność: nadal musimy wyjaśniać decyzje, które wpływają na obowiązki pozostałych osób.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

Start studying

Start studying →