Morton's fork

English

Etymology

Said to have originated with the collecting of taxes by John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury in the late 15th century, who held that a man living modestly must be saving money and could therefore afford taxes, whereas one living extravagantly was obviously rich and could still afford them.

Noun

Morton's fork (plural Morton's forks)

1. A false dilemma in which contradictory arguments lead to the same (unpleasant) conclusion.
2. (bridge) A coup in contract bridge that forces an opponent to choose between letting declarer establish extra tricks in the suit led, or losing the opportunity to win any trick in the suit led.