Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromichi]

What kind of effort is it?

The moves are the McCain campaign’s most full-throttled effort to define Mr. Obama negatively, on its own terms, by creating a narrative intended to turn the public off to an opponent.
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Hiromichi

[Bob S.]

A throttle is a control to regulate the flow of fuel into an engine. "Full throttle" means the throttle is fully opened to give the engine maximum fuel to give the engine full power.

So as a metaphor, it means giving maximum effort.

[hiromichi]

Bob S.:
Thank you. To me it is interesting to compare this expression with "He throttled the car down."
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Hiromichi

[Bob S.]