turn of the screw

turn of the screw

Something that worsens an already difficult or negative situation. Seeing my ex-boyfriend with his new girlfriend is just another turn of the screw. My financial situation is already dire, so that traffic ticket is a real turn of the screw.
See also: of, screw, turn
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a (final or last) turn of the screw

an additional amount of pressure or hardship applied to a situation that is already extremely difficult to bear. informal
See also: of, screw, turn
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a ˌturn of the ˈscrew

another problem or difficulty added to a situation which is already very bad: In this recession a rise in interest rates is just another turn of the screw for businesses.This idiom refers to a method of torturing people. Thumbscrews were used to crush people’s thumbs, and turning them tightened them.
See also: of, screw, turn
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a turn of the screw
  • beat a (hasty) retreat
  • beat a hasty retreat
  • beat a retreat
  • hasty
  • retreat
  • have a run-in
  • have a run-in with (someone)
  • have a run-in with somebody
  • have a run-in with someone/something
References in classic literature
If the child gives the effect another turn of the screw, what do you say to TWO children--?"
Just when it seemed to him that another turn of the screw would kill him, little Stanislovas stopped.
He perceived himself so extremely forlorn and lamentable, and was moved so deeply by the oppressive sorrow, that another turn of the screw, he felt, would bring tears out of his eyes.
Hyde, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, The Turn of the Screw, The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler, The Norliss Tapes, Scream of the World, Trilogy of Terror, Dead of Night, Trilogy of Terror II, Burnt Offerings, Curse of the Black Widow, and Intruders: They Are Among Us, as well as productions that never happened, the 2019 documentary about Curtis, and his legacy.
| Turn Of The Screw plays the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, on Tuesday, April 9, to Saturday, April 13.
Like Twin Peaks or The Turn Of The Screw, the low-level weirdness and black comedy builds slowly into dark horror.
Like Twin Peaks or The Turn Of The Screw, low-level weirdness and black comedy builds slowly into dark horror.
01446 738622 THEATRE Turn of the Screw This dynamic adaptation of Henry James' much-loved and genre defining classic ghost story, Turn of the Screw, lets you draw your own conclusions about the events at Bly mansion, and where guilt resides.
A dynamic new adaptation of classic chiller Turn of the Screw comes to Theatr Clwyd in Mold as part of a UK tour.
Tomorrow until Saturday, Lichfield Garrick, 01543 412121 THEATRE Turn of the Screw Are there such things as ghosts?
What attracted you to Turn Of The Screw? I remember reading the book when I was young and I was fascinated by it.
Holby City star Carli is playing the governess in Turn of the Screw at Mercury Theatre, Colchester, then touring.
Hints of both The Shining and The Turn of the Screw haunt this tense thriller as readers are placed in the same position as the other characters in their misreading of Seda." KAREN COATS
The film, based on the Henry James book The Turn Of The Screw, tells the story of a nanny hired by a man to look after his young niece and nephew after their parents' deaths.
"The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James Being one the early gothic literary works and ghost stories in the history of English literature, "The Turn of the Screw" (1898) by Henry James is listed on the top of any horror-themed reading list.