What is "choke pear"

Choke pear \Choke" pear`\

1. A kind of pear that has a rough, astringent taste, and is swallowed with difficulty, or which contracts the mucous membrane of the mouth.

2. A sarcasm by which one is put to silence; anything that can not be answered. [Low]
   --S. Richardson.

n. 1 A torture device consisting of a metal body (usually pear-shaped) divided into spoon-like segments that can be spread apart by turning a screw. 2 A kind of pear with a rough, astringent taste, difficult to swallow. 3 (context archaic vulgar English) A sarcasm by which one is put to silence; anything that cannot be answered.

A choke pear or chocky-pear is an astringent fruit. It is (the fruit of) any variety of pear that has an astringent taste and that is difficult to swallow.

Choke pear may refer to:

• Choke pear (plant), any variety of astringent pear fruit
• Pear of anguish, a device found in some museums