Ok, so this may be more of an english lanugage question, and I can confirm from context that when the fuel shutoff valve is ON fuel does indeed flow to the engine, but wouldn't that just make more sense to call that valve the fuel valve?
If the component that shuts fuel off is on, operational, in use, functioning, etc., shouln't fuel be shut off, as the name implies?
I realize this could be seen as a quibble, but confusion causes accidents and IMO this is wildly confusing.
EDIT
Looking at the Cessna 152 checklist today I noticed this interesting quirk. On the regular checklist side (pre-takeoff, maneuver, etc.) the checklist reads "Fuel Shuttof Valve - ON", but on the emergency checklist for an engine fire it merely states "Fuel Valve - OFF".