throat, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

throat n.

[SE cut-throat]

(US campus) someone who works harder than average, and enjoys it.

1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 210: Throat A person who studies a great deal.
1980		L. Birnbach Official Preppie Hbk 90: 13 Words For The Person Who Is Working — 1. Grind 2. Squid 3. Pencil Geek 4. Cereb 5. Grub 6. Weenie 7. Throat 8. Tool 9. Wonk 10. Gome 11. Nerd 12. Spider 13. Conch.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 412: Other synonyms include pencil geek, grind, grub, and throat (from ‘cutthroat,’ this being the kind of student who tears pages out of library books to prevent classmates from reading them).

SE in slang uses

In compounds

throat burner (n.)

a drink of spirits.

1889		Dundee Courier 7 Mar. 4/4: Liquids in the shape of cognac [...] and hot tom were handed round, the young gents [...] partaking very sparsely of the latter throat burner.
1895		Dly Republican Monongahela (PA) 16 Nov. 3/3: Early in the morning he takes a glass of liquor [...] which he calls ‘brule gosier’ (throat burner).
1908		‘Old Sleuth’ Dock Rats of N.Y. (2006) 53: All’s well that ends well, so come, all hands, and have a little throat burner with me.
1919		Sioux City Jrnl (IA) 30 Jan. 10/2: Prune juice [...] anybody who thinks that the favorite of the boarding house table cannot produce a fermented article that is très fort in the way of a throat burner is greatly mistaken.
1965		Oakland Trib. (CA) 7 Apr. 22-X/2: A largely home-made grain derived product, whose name is Russian slang for ‘greased lightning or thorat burner’.
2008		Hartford Courant (CT) 21 Aug. G01/1: Tequila is the throat-burner of choice.

throat latch (n.)

(US) the Adam’s apple.

1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 245/1: Throat-latch (American). The larynx, as outwardly developed.
1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 4: All the jolly Souls accustomed to remove the Throat-Latches from Saturday to Monday.

throat oil (n.)

(Aus.) beer or alcohol generally.

1999

G. Seal Lingo 55: The term [oil] is related to the earlier use of oil for alcohol — and still current as throat-oil or neck-oil. At a time when alcohol was often adulterated, good oil meant the genuine full-strength brew.

throat varnish (n.)

(US) liquor, alcohol.

1919

A. Baer Two & Three 4 Nov. [synd. col.] If you have a cellar load of throat varniosh, put plenty of postage on it for it has to go a long way.

throatwash (n.)

(US) bourbon whisky.

1902

C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 35: The richest and tangiest old Kentucky throatwash.

In phrases

have by the throat (v.)

(Aus.) to have the situation under control; often as get the game by the throat.

1947		J. Morrison Sailors belong Ships 15: We’re sailors, see? Two sailors. We got the game by the throat. I know a job in the Riverina worth a hundred quid.
1960		R. Tullipan Follow the Sun 105: ‘Think we’ll get it done to-day?’ ‘Can’t miss [...] We have it by the throat now all right.’.
1974		D. Ireland Burn 58: So you got the game by the throat, eh?
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 28: Got the game by the throat: In control of a given situation, as in, ‘No worries, missus, the verandah’ll be finished by tomorrow, we’ve got the game by the throat.’.