tighten a screw
1tighten the screw — see screw …
2put (or turn or tighten) the screw (or screws) on — informal exert strong psychological pressure on. → screw …
3screw up — tighten a screw; make a major mistake; confuse, disrupt …
4tighten — [[t]ta͟ɪt(ə)n[/t]] tightens, tightening, tightened 1) V ERG If you tighten your grip on something, or if your grip tightens, you hold the thing more firmly or securely. [V n] Luke answered by tightening his grip on her shoulder... [V prep] Her… …
5screw — [[t]skru͟ː[/t]] screws, screwing, screwed 1) N COUNT A screw is a metal object similar to a nail, with a raised spiral line around it. You turn a screw using a screwdriver so that it goes through two things, for example two pieces of wood, and… …
6screw — noun 1》 a short, slender, sharp pointed metal pin with a raised helical thread running around it and a slotted head, used to join things together by being rotated in under pressure. ↘a cylinder with a helical ridge or thread running round the …
7screw — [[t]skru[/t]] n. 1) a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven into wood or the like by rotating, as with a screwdriver 2) a threaded cylindrical rod, with a head at one end, that engages …
8tighten — verb /ˈtaɪ.tən/ a) To make tighter. Please tighten that screw a quarter turn. b) To become tighter. That joint is tightening as the wood dries. Ant: loosen See Also: tight …
9screw — [skro͞o] n. [ME screwe < MFr escroue, hole in which the screw turns < L scrofa, sow, infl. by scrobis, vulva] 1. a) a mechanical device for fastening things together, consisting essentially of a cylindrical or conical piece of metal… …
10tighten the screws — To increase pressure (esp on someone to do something) • • • Main Entry: ↑tight * * * tighten the screws informal : to put more pressure on someone or something to do something We need to tighten the screws on people who ve been evading the tax. • …
