To Write Responsibly or Not at All. That is the Question.
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:52AM
In the 1600’s, an innkeeper and stable owner kept a stable full of horses that he would rent out to people needing to go to the next town. In order to rest and rotate his horses, he always put a returning horse at the end of the line and rented out the first in the line from the stall nearest the door. Some of the renters were not pleased with their choice of horse and complained, demanding a better horse.
At that point, the inn keeper gave his renters a choice: either accept or refuse his offer of the first horse, or in other words, ‘take it or leave it’. The name of this innkeeper? Hobson. And from that innkeeper, we get the phrase, Hobson’s choice. In a Hobson’s choice it appears that we have a free choice to take what is offered, but since the only other choice is nothing, it is not really a choice at all but rather, ‘all or nothing’.
The Hobson's choice phrase is often misused by writers when they use it to mean a choice between two options that are less than optimal. This choice is actually a Morton's fork and usually presents someone with a dilemma of choosing between two equally unpleasant choices (‘between a rock and a hard place’).
Like Hobson’s choice, Morton’s fork evolved around the same time. John Morton was the chancellor for King Henry VII. His main task was to collect taxes for the king and collected them equally from the rich and the poor. He figured that the King’s subjects who appeared poor, obviously didn’t spend money, so they must have huge savings and could afford to pay high taxes. On the other hand, the King’s subjects who appeared wealthy, obviously had money to spend on themselves, so they could also afford high taxes. Both rich and poor were ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t’!
Back then, forks had only two prongs, so Morton’s arguments were the two prongs of the fork. Whether you were rich or poor, it didn’t matter because it was a situation which involved a choice between two undesirable outcomes. Whether you were rich or poor, you didn’t have a positive choice and you ended up paying taxes. Two lines of reasoning, two equally bad options, but either way, both lead to an unpleasant conclusion. Another way of saying the King’s subjects were ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’.
As a writer, you have a responsibility to know and use words correctly. You also have a responsibility to your readers to know and use correct phrases. While knowing the background of a phrase is fun and great trivia for showing off at a dinner party, for good writing it is not really necessary to know the background as long as you understand the correct use of the phrase. Writers have an accountability to their readers, so use your phrases correctly or you may suffer a Hobson’s choice (or was that a Morton’s fork?).
Reader Comments (20)
Well put. I try to think about my audience when selecting the words and phrases. Also, I will copy to Word to check grammar and usage.
I had never heard that phrase before (Hobson's choice). Thanks for educating me. :) I so agree with you that writers have a responsibility to use words correctly. At the same time, we don't want to put so much pressure on ourselves that we never write at all. Thankfully, with the internet, there's no excuse for not taking the time to research phrases you may not completely understand. Thanks for the reminder!
With all the effort, work, and dedication that goes into writing a book, blog, or chapter I can't believe people make these silly mistakes. Thank you for keeping us in check.
Interesting Candace. I've never heard of either of those sayings...so I learned something new today. Thanks for that ...and yes...I agree. We do need to use words properly when writing...back to my writing!
Excellent points to ponder re accountability and responsibility. Language is a tool that requires respect for it to work most effectively and knowing where the sayings come from is part of that respect.
I used to have a little book full of sayings and their origins. I loved it. But alas, the book went missing during one of our many moves.
A favourite background meaning of mine is the origin of the word posh. Do you know how the word posh came about?
Love it! And yes, in negotiation none of the above are great strategies. You have to leave some room for win/win, so I am happy to now know the origins of the phrases!
I find the origin of phrases and words fascinating...I'd never heard those two phrases, I loved heairing how they came about. I agree with you about the responsibility of the writer to know the proper usage of words and phrases. I once heard a well educated, national speaker refer to himself as a 'ferocious reader"...it made me laugh as I envisioned him angrily attacking his books.
What an interesting piece of trivia! Another thing I would add to this is common grammatical and word mixup mistakes, such as "it's" and "its", and "principals" and "principles" and "effect" and "affect". I'm often misusing these and then, at least mostly, catching them and fxing them
I'd never heard of these terms before now. Interesting. Although I do worry about correct grammar and spelling, I put readability ahead of everything. In some cases and some uses, proper grammar hurts more then helps, like when ending some sentences with a preposition. You aren't supposed to do it, but if you didn't the entire character of the piece is lost.
I have never heard either of those phrases used - ever. Both are interesting and I love the history behind them... I do agree with you that every writer, professional or not, has a responsibility to put forth accurate information and to use the words they correctly.
Jennifer Bourn, Bourn Creative, www.bourncreative.com
Fascinating! how fun to know the background of those phrases! I agree that it is important to make sure you are using words and phrases correctly; I believe that if you have any doubt at all about a word or phrase it is worth looking it up before using it. Thank you for an educational and enjoyable post, Candace!
Once again I'm reminded how out of touch I am, never heard of either phrase.
It is important to know what the phrases we're writing actually mean and to use them correctly.
Really enjoy your blogs Candice!
Correct usage is very important. The right word at the right time can set you free. I find distinctions to be particularly powerful. The etymology though is something I find interesting, but not fascinating.
Oh Candace, you and my husband would get along like gangbusters! (Although, now that I think of it, I should think of a better choice of words because "like gangbusters" actually means very forcefully, energetically, or effectively as police engaged in combating criminal gangs.)
In any case, my husband is a playwright and is constantly lamenting the demise of our language. He prides himself on his knowledge of etymology, idiomatic expressions and proper usage. Based on pp, it seems that most of us have never heard of Hobson's choice or Morton's fork, but I'm willing to bet ready money that my husband could explain the history of both expressions as you've done, completely off the cuff. I love it!
Thanks for sharing, I love learning where expressions came from.
Another fascinating glimpse into your mind Candace! and I love every minute of it. I am hooked by a turn of phrase, especially the expressions like your examples, so cleverly explained. I knew of Hobson's choice but not Morton's fork. The most alluring part is that the expressions were once slang, and now are proudly part of a rich history of language. Love to learn how sayings started. Unravel more meanings for us.
Jen Duchene
The Home Makeover Mixtress blending cool & cozy style.
I would hope this is also why, in the publishing process and editor helps with verification of fact checking. There is so much info out there these days, how someone learned the saying...! Interestingly one person who commented on this post actually believes you can make up the facts as you go! Ok, that is #feistyAnn!
Ann Evanston
Defining Your REAL Edge
Loved this post, Candace. Didn't really know those phrases, and I so appreciated learning the history behind them. It's true, we can fall into using language carelessly and incorrectly. I love the etymology of words, too. But your final point is also well taken: we don't have to always tell all this to the reader--we just have to use the words and phrases carefully. Thanks for caring about language!
Hi Candace,
Very excellent and insightful post. I love reading books who has a god choice of words. It's add to the excitement if an author give a good emphasis in the etymology of the word. That's is why I have a high regard to those writers who are careful in using words.
I like horse very much. I have been entertained with your blog it has a nice story.
Responsibilities should not be written it should be memorized. I don't let myself forget my responsibilities.