Say you’re a chef making soup … we’ll pick chicken soup. We agree there are structural principals, let’s call them “rules,” to follow when making chicken soup: you need water, a chicken and some vegetables.
Sticking with just the rules would, in fact, produce chicken soup; but, would it be tasty? It’s possible (yet unlikely).
Now, consider the drawerful of spices at your disposal: a bit of dill, pinch of turmeric and (my favorite) some Yemeni hawaij. Presto, chango … instead of plain old soup you’ve crafted some amazingly savory soup! Why? You need the spice; it’s the spice that gives your chicken soup its flavor.
Writers have access to spice — one is called “turn of phrase” — and when used effectively it can make good writing great. Using a turn of phrase can help establish your “writer’s voice,” much like the spice in your soup becomes your “chef’s signature.”
Writing’s rules (e.g. grammar, syntax, and punctuation) govern its foundational structure. Each is a necessary component for effective communication. Throw in a good turn of phrase and — POW — you’ve given your writing some flavor … zest … punch!
My preamble concluded, the turn of phrase I chose to share today is “Hobson’s choice.”
WHO IS ‘HOBSON’ AND WHAT IS THIS CHOICE?
In reality, a ‘Hobson’s choice’ amounts to having no choice at all. According to multiple sources, the phrase is said to take its name from a 15th-century livery stable owner in Cambridge, England, Thomas Hobson, who insisted that customers either use the horse he chose for them or rent from someone else.
Basically: Take it or leave it.
Example: Famished, I came home to a Hobson’s choice for dinner: last night’s leftovers or chewing gum. Glad I like chicken soup!