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A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that choices are available. The best known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leave it", wherein "leaving it" is strongly undesirable.
A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
Henry Fuseli's painting of Odysseus facing the choice between Scylla and Charybdis, 1794–1796. Being between Scylla and Charybdis is an idiom deriving from Greek mythology, which has been associated with the proverbial advice "to choose the lesser of two evils". [1]
The exact origin of this proverb is unknown and several variations exist. The first full version of the phrase appeared in a London newspaper in 1828 where it was referred to as a Portuguese proverb. [13] The earliest known text resembling this phrase occurs in Virgil's Aeneid: "facilis descensus Averno (the descent to hell is easy)". [14]
A logical fallacy where one assumes that one thing happening after another thing means that the first thing caused the second. post meridiem (p.m.) after midday: The period from noon to midnight (cf. ante meridiem) post mortem (pm) after death: Usually rendered postmortem. Not to be confused with post meridiem: Post mortem auctoris (p.m.a.)
The dictionary definition of have one's cake and eat it too at Wiktionary; Post at "The Phrase Finder", quoting Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings and Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New and The Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings
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He demonstrated that lab rats experience difficulty when choosing between two equally attractive (approach–approach) goals. The typical response to approach–approach decisions is initial ambivalence, though the decision becomes more decisive as the organism moves towards one choice and away from another.