> as lemmas

1659 N. Rogers Figg-less Figg-tree 135 When man hath failed, he hath turned the screw himself following us, sometimes with Famine, sometimes with Pestilence.

1824 National Advocate (N.Y.) 19 Oct. We..care less for him..who may deal out his money to any extent, so that the screws are not put upon us.

1842 Ohio Statesman 15 Feb. Managers of this bank threatened to put the screws to all their debtors, in case they have to go into liquidation.

1845 S. Judd Margaret ii. vii. 313 We didn't put on the screws half hard enough. The Insargents ought to have been hung.

1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) (at cited word) To put the screws on; to turn the screws, to press, and figuratively to extort, to enforce payment in money transactions; to force a debtor, by any compulsory means, to pay.

1882 E. O'Donovan Merv Oasis I. 317 The local authorities kept on the screw for their own private benefit.

1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. II. xliii. 133 Occasionally the assessors of a country town take it into their heads to apply the screw.

1894 P. L. Ford Hon. Peter Stirling xli. 241 Then I can put the screws on him safely, you think?

1917 W. J. Locke Red Planet xxiii. 298 Gedge's nocturnal waylaying of him..was another unsuccessful attempt to tighten the screw.

1932 Columbia Law Rev. 32 49 These [affidavits] are convenient weapons in the hands of creditors. They may be used to turn the screws a little tighter by a threat of prosecution.

1977 Navy News Sept. 39/3 David Stracey kept the screws on, lunching with figures of three for 15 off ten overs.

1981 A. Morice Men in her Death viii. 93 She worked out this scheme for a phoney kidnap, to put the screws on.

2010 K. Richards & J. Fox Life vi. 197 I loved her spirit, even though she would instigate and turn the screw and manipulate.