choke
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Related to choke: Choke valve
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(all) choked up
Feeling a strong emotion and struggling to speak because of it. I thought I would be able to give the eulogy, but I became so choked up that I couldn't do it. Come on, you can't tell me you didn't get all choked up during Toy Story 3!
be (all) choked up
To struggle to speak because one feels an intense emotion. As long as I'm not all choked up, I'll be able to give the eulogy.
beat the dummy
vulgar slang To masturbate. A term only applied to males. A: "Why is he all embarrassed today?" B: "Oh, his crush walked in on him beating the dummy. How horrifying is that?"
choke back
To try to keep from expelling something, such as words or tears. A noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "back." I choked back a question about her boyfriend as soon as I remembered that they had broken up. I didn't feel sick until after the ceremony had started, so I had to choke back vomit the entire time.
choke down
To swallow something with difficulty, often because it tastes bad or is cumbersome. A noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "down." I didn't know that Lexie was a terrible cook until I had to choke down some of the disgusting stew she'd made. I couldn't choke down any of those pills—they're just too big!
choke off
1. To stop or prevent something from flowing normally. A noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "off." I was watering the flowers when Doug stepped on the hose and choked off the water supply.
2. To cause someone or something to have difficulty breathing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "off." Undo the baby's top button before it chokes off her air supply!
3. To stop someone abruptly while they are talking. A noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "off." I had to choke him off because his boring story was putting me to sleep.
choke on (something)
To choke due to a particular object lodged in one's throat or windpipe. It was a scary moment when dad started choking on that fish bone. I hate when I choke on my own spit.
choke the chicken
vulgar slang To masturbate. A term only applied to males. I can't believe my roommate walked in on me while I was choking the chicken—I'm so mortified!
choke up
1. To feel a strong emotion and struggle to speak because of it. I thought I would be able to give the eulogy, but I became so choked up that I couldn't do it.
2. To cause one to feel a strong emotion and struggle to speak because of it. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "up." The author's speech on mortality really choked me up.
3. To make one feel the urge to cry. I had been fine all day, but as soon as I walked into the funeral home, I got all choked up.
4. To block or obstruct. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "up." I was watering the flowers when Doug stepped on the hose and choked it up.
5. To cough and expel a substance that is stuck in one's throat. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "choke" and "up." Luckily, I was able to choke that piece of bread up before needing the Heimlich maneuver.
6. To fail to perform to one's full potential as a result of nervousness under pressure. "Up" is often dropped from the phrase to convey this meaning. Of course he only had five points in the championship—he always chokes up in big games.
7. To grip a piece of equipment or tool (typically a baseball bat) so that one's hands are closer to the contact point. Choke up on the bat to get a better grip.
choked by emotion
So overwhelmed with an emotion, either positive or negative, as to be unable to speak clearly or at all. She was choked by emotion when she stepped up to speak at her mother's funeral.
choked with emotion
So overwhelmed with an emotion, either positive or negative, as to be unable to speak clearly or at all. I was positively choked with emotion by all the lovely speeches at my retirement party.
enough (something) to choke Caligula's horse
A lot of something. The phrase likely mentions Caligula because the Roman emperor was known for his penchant for excess. A: "Do you think I got enough balloons? B: "Are you kidding? There are enough balloons here to choke Caligula's horse!"
enough to choke a horse
A huge or excessive amount. When my grandmother cooks for family gatherings, she always makes enough to choke a horse!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
choke on something
to gag and cough on something stuck in the throat. The dog choked on the meat. The restaurant patron began to choke on a fish bone.
choke someone off
to prevent someone from continuing to talk. (A figurative use; does not imply physical choking.) The opposition choked the speakers' debate off before they finished. Why did they want to choke off the speakers?
choke someone up
Fig. to cause someone to feel like starting to cry. Sad stories like that always choke me up. The movie was sad and it choked up most of the audience.
choke something back
to fight hard to keep something from coming out of one's mouth, such as sobs, tears, angry words, vomit, etc. I tried to choke the unpleasant words back, but I could not. She choked back her grief, but it came forth nonetheless. I could hardly choke my tears back.
choke something down
to eat something, even though it is hard to swallow or tastes bad. The cough medicine tasted terrible, but I managed to choke it down. She choked down four of those pills all at once.
choke something off
1. Lit. to restrict or strangle a living creature's windpipe. The tight collar on the cat tended to choke its airstream off. The collar choked off its airstream.
2. Fig. to put an end to debate or discussion; to stop the flow of words from any source. Are they going to choke the debate off? The chair tried to choke off debate but failed.
choke something up
1. to clog something up; to fill up and block something. Branches and leaves choked the sewer up. Rust choked up the pipes.
2. to cough or choke until something that has blocked one's windpipe is brought up. The old man choked up the candy that was stuck in his windpipe. He choked up the chunk of meat and could breathe again.
choke up
1. to feel like crying. I choked up when I heard the news. He was beginning to choke up as he talked.
2. to become emotional or saddened so that one cannot speak. I choked up when I heard about the disaster. I was choking up, and I knew I would not be able to go on.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
choke back
Suppress, as in He choked back his tears. [Late 1800s]
choke off
1. Put a stop to, throttle, as in Higher interest rates are choking off the real estate boom. [Early 1800s]
2. Stop someone from speaking or complaining, as in Throughout the debate the congressman had to be choked off to give the other candidate a chance to speak . [Slang; late 1800s]
choke up
1. Block a channel or other passage, as in Vegetation choked up the creek like a dam. [Late 1600s]
2. Be too emotional or upset to speak, as in She became so emotional about winning that she choked up and was unable to give an interview .
3. Become too nervous or tense in a critical situation to perform, as in He's fine during practice but in a match he tends to choke up. This usage, also put as to choke alone, is especially common in sports. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
choke back
v.
To suppress or hold something back, especially with great effort: I choked back tears as I told my family the sad news.
choke off
v.
To prevent or stop the free flow of something: High tariffs choked off trade between the two countries. The car accident in the middle of the road choked the traffic off, and no one could get through.
choke up
v.
1. To be unable to speak because of strong emotion: The speaker choked up when he tried to talk about his grandparents' journey to America.
2. To cause someone to be unable to speak because of strong emotion: Their generosity choked me up. Whenever I hear the national anthem, I get choked up.
3. choke up on To grip some implement that is used to strike something, such as a baseball bat or a hammer, at a point closer to where contact is made:The child had to choke up on the golf club because it was too large.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
beat the dummy
and beat the meat and beat one’s meat and beat the pup and choke the chicken and pound one’s meat and pull one’s pud and pull one’s wire and whip one’s wire and whip the dummy and yank one’s strap tv. to masturbate. (Usually objectionable.) Are you going to sit around all day pulling your pud? We heard him in there “choking the chicken,” as the street crowd says.
choke the chicken
verbSee beat the dummy
choke
1. in. [for a computer] to fail to take in information being fed to it. (Computers.) If you don’t have your modem and your software set the same way as the host, your machine will choke.
2. in. to panic before or during a test. (From choke up.) She always chokes during a test.
choked
mod. having to do with overly diluted drugs. Why is this stuff so stepped on—you know, choked?
See also: choke
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.