turn of the screw en · NOUN
Meanings
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(idiomatic) One 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:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| turns of the screw | Number=Plur | lexicographic |