1
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Phrase(s): 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?, Phrase(s): 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.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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Put a stop to, throttle, as in Higher interest rates are choking off the real estate boom. [Early 1800s] 1. 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] 2.
American Heritage Idioms