On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 21:26:24 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

To "throttle" means to choke.

Actually, it means "the throat". Therefore, by logical extension, it
came to mean a valve for controlling fuel or steam, in much the same
way that the throat controls the ingestion of food. And by further
extension, the lever or rod that controlles the throttle.

The verb is different. "To throttle" does indeed mean to stop the
engine, or anyhow to bring it to an idle.

Now, you really want a fun word, try cockpit!