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tighten the screws on

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tighten the screws on somebody/something also put the screws on somebody/something
to make it harder for someone to do something Government agencies need to tighten the screws on illegal immigrants. We are putting the screws on that country to end its history of helping terrorists.
Usage notes: sometimes used in the form put the screws to someone or something: The owners could really put the screws to the players.
See also: screw, tighten


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North Korea's military provocations this year angered its ally China but Beijing remains reluctant to tighten the screws on Pyongyang, an influential think-tank said Tuesday.
Russia, which is helping the Islamic Republic construct its first nuclear plant in the southern city of Bushehr, has long resisted US-led moves to tighten the screws on Tehran through international sanctions.
The legislation looks to tighten the screws on the Islamic republic, which imports about 40 percent of its gasoline, by targeting firms that finance gasoline exports to Iran, or either ship or insure the exports.
 
 
 
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