Like it or lump it Said of an unpleasant outcome that one has no
choice but to accept - one can either endure it willingly or
endure it with suffering. When we are given a fait accompli in a
situation in which we would normally expect some sort of choice,
we might not be too pleased about it. We may then be told to
'like it or lump it'. Had the expression been coined in the 16th
century this is no doubt what Thomas Hobson would have said to
his prospective customers when he offered them 'Hobson's
choice'. But how exactly do we 'lump' something? Although 'lump'
is almost always used as a noun rather than a verb, there are
many meanings of the verb form of 'lump' to choose from: - To
bet all of one's money on a single wager (first recorded in the
19th century) - To make something into a lump (18th century) -
To classify various things as a group, i.e. lump them together
(17th century) - To slouch along lazily (17th century) - To look
sulky or disagreeable (16th century) Of course, it is the last
of these lumps