turn up the heat on

Idioms  

1. Also,; tighten the screws on. Pressure someone, as in The cops turned up the heat on drivers who show signs of drunkenness, or They said they'd tighten the screws on her if she didn't confess. All of these slangy terms allude to forms of physical coercion or torture. The first dates from about 1930, the variants using screws from the mid-1800s, and squeeze from the late 1700s.

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Example Sentences

The offer seems destined to turn up the heat on Novo.

From Barron's

With the top tight end off the board, the Saints take someone who can turn up the heat on quarterbacks.

From Los Angeles Times

Hernandez said Friday that the union is planning picket lines at the Rose Bowl during the annual Rose Parade held on New Year’s Day to turn up the heat on the Hilton Pasadena and other hotels in Pasadena that are without contracts.

From Los Angeles Times

If they’re going to turn up the heat on the front-runner, Wednesday night would be an ideal place to start.

From Seattle Times

The strike authorization vote is meant to turn up the heat on companies such as Netflix Inc and Walt Disney Co and convince them to raise the pay for writers, who say their compensation has suffered because of the streaming revolution, which resulted in shorter TV seasons and smaller residual payments.

From Reuters