turn of the screw

noun

One step in a gradual imposition of restrictions.

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Meanings

nounturn of the screw (plural turns of the screw)

plural turns of the screw

  1. idiomaticOne step in a gradual imposition of restrictions.

    There is every chance that as far as the government's budget cutting goes, the next turn of the screw will see the SRC squeezed, despite the fact that the council has, quite rightly, been spared from the worst of the earlier cuts.

    1980, New Scientist, volume 88, number 1226, page 348
Cite this entry
APA

turn of the screw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20of%20the%20screw

MLA

“turn of the screw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20of%20the%20screw. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turn of the screw,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20of%20the%20screw.

Source: turn of the screw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.