Handsmother Stranglenails

To understand the phrase, we have to break it down into its three constituent parts, which paint a vivid and violent picture:

To strangle is to compress the throat or windpipe, cutting off air and blood flow to the brain. Unlike smothering (which seals external airways), strangulation targets the internal passage. In forensic terms, strangulation by hand— manual strangulation —is personal, proximal, and often leaves crescent-shaped bruises from fingernails. The word itself is guttural: strangle mimics the sound of a choked cry. handsmother stranglenails