put the screws to someone—put extreme pressure on a person:
- I know that the Department of Finance are putting the screws on the Land Commission to bring their operations to an end.
screw someone up —(sl.)
1. cause harm to a person:
- Remember, even one hint of a rumor about this type of conduct will screw you up for the rest of your life.
2. make smb. nervous or anxious:
- One thing that always screws me up here is the food. I have trouble buying it, but the food itself is invariably not what I expected.