choke up

choke up idiom
  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.

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