tighten the screws on sb1 informalTHREATEN to force someone to do something by threatening them 威逼某人做某事 The government has started to tighten the screws on illegal share dealers. 政府开始打压不法证券商。
→ put/tighten the screws on somebody at screw1(2)
2 informal to try to force someone to do something, by threatening them or making things difficult for them – used in news reports 胁迫，威逼（某人）；（对某人）采取更为严厉的措施〔用于新闻报道〕 Closing the border would tighten the screws on the terrorists. 封锁边境将使恐怖分子受到更为严厉的打击。
→ tighten the screws (on somebody) at tighten(3)