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Glite Dictionary
to turn the screw

to turn the screw

1 7.5
To put more pressure on someone so they do what you want
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : apretar las tuercas
  • The manager decided to turn the screw on the team to meet the tight deadline.

Examples

  • Her parents began to turn the screw about her grades as exams approached.

  • The manager decided to turn the screw on the team to meet the deadline.

  • The coach knew he had to turn the screw to get the best from his players.

  • When the negotiations stalled, the company decided to turn the screw on its suppliers.

  • Why did you turn the screw on your employees like that?

  • In the meeting, she explained that they needed to turn the screw on their suppliers to negotiate better prices.

  • After receiving the latest sales report, the boss told the sales team they had to turn the screw to boost their performance.

Synonyms

to pressure
vsto turn the screw
149 4.2

To try to make someone do something

involves specifically increasing demands to obtain a desired result
to turn up the heat
vsto turn the screw
26 4.2

Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act

uses steady demand increases to reach a desired outcome
to crack the whip
vsto turn the screw
5 6.8

To use firm authority to make people work harder and follow rules

is less about authority and more about increasing demands to achieve results
to bring pressure to bear
vsto turn the screw
  • Formal
1 6.0

To use influence to persuade someone to do something

emphasizes raising demands rather than only using influence
to turn up the pressure
vsto turn the screw
1 3.9

To try to make someone change what they do by making them feel more stress

raises demands gradually to achieve a specific result
to twist someone's arm
vsto turn the screw
  • Informal
1 4.4

Get someone to agree or do something by pressuring them

focuses more on raising formal demands instead of personal urging
to pile on the pressure
vsto turn the screw
1 4.4

To give someone more stress to make them change their mind

focuses on increasing demands step by step to get results

Antonyms

to ease up
57 3.7

To make something less strong or strict

to relax
26 3.2

To make rules less strict

How Pressured

to turn the screw
1 7.5
to pressure
149 4.2
to push
958 1.1
to ask
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

turn the screw infinitive
turned the screw past
turned the screw past participle
turning the screw present participle
turns the screw third person singular

Morphology

turn + the + screw

The expression evokes the literal action of turning a screw to tighten something, which maps onto the metaphorical idea of increasing pressure or demands; this physical-to-social mapping is accessible to learners who know 'turn' and 'screw'. However, the meaning is metaphorical rather than strictly compositional and some nuance (who is being pressured, how much) is not directly predictable, so a B1 learner might infer the general sense but not the full pragmatic use without exposure.

Etymology

Turn the screw comes from the picture of turning a screw to make something tighter; the more you turn it, the more pressure there is. So, to 'turn the screw' on someone means 'to increase pressure' or demands to get a result.