To struggle to breathe because something is blocking the throat; in sports, to fail in a crucial moment when under pressure.
From Old English 'aceocan' meaning to choke. The sports meaning emerged in the 1900s as a metaphorical use of the physical sensation.
The 'choking under pressure' phenomenon actually has a neuroscientific explanation—overthinking disrupts the automatic processes that experts rely on, like a golfer's swing!
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