He suffocated the bird

[Untaught88]

Hi,

Is "He suffocated the bird by pressing its neck" correct?

 

[teechar]

No, say, e.g.,
He choked the bird with his (bare) hands.

[The poor bird! :-(]

 

[GoesStation]

He strangled the unfortunate avian.

 

[Tarheel]

As part of the definition for suffocate dictionary.com says strangle.

www.dictionary.com

 

[andrewg927]

If you want to use "suffocate", you need to change the means. You don't suffocate a being by choking it. I would imagine you use a pillow to suffocate the bird. E.g "he suffocated the bird with a pillow".

 

[Skrej]

It's an odd way to kill a bird anyway. If you have to use your hands, you normally just wring a bird's neck, snapping the vertebrae. Is that perhaps what you're referring to?

Of course there's the euphemism of 'choking the chicken', but I can't say I've ever heard of it being done literally.

p.s. A humorous semi-related link about strangling birds.

 

[Skrej]

. I would imagine you use a pillow to suffocate the bird. E.g "he suffocated the bird with a pillow".

Clearly it should be a feather pillow. However, I was thinking plastic bags and Duck Tape.