General
screw
What does screw mean?
A prison officer, British and Irish slang. Said to come from the old turnkey job — screwing the lock shut. Long-running, still the default inmate term in UK nicks. Not a compliment.
"The screws did a spin of his pad and found the phone."
Origin
19th-century British prison slang, from the action of turning the key — 'putting on the screw' to lock the cell.
Frequently asked questions
What does screw mean in prison slang?
A screw is a prison officer — the UK inmate's word for the man with the keys.
How do you use screw in a sentence?
"The screw came round to lock up the wing."
Is calling someone a screw offensive?
It's disrespectful prison slang for a guard, so it carries a hostile edge rather than being neutral.
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