Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) a general term for house-breaking, burglary.

1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 59/1: Jack, being ‘turned up’ as a ‘stall’ betook himself to his old ‘graft’ ‘screwing’.
1868		‘Six Years in the Prisons of England’ Temple Bar Mag. Nov. 535: I did the screwing in this way. Wherever I saw a lobby lighted with gas, I looked in at the key-hole. If I saw anything worth lifting I ‘screwed’ the door.
1905		West Gippsland Gaz. (Warragul, Vic.) 28 Feb. 6/3: I’m not thinking of Christmas; yer see it’s a good time for screwing.
1925		N. Lucas Autobiog. of a Thief 230: ‘Well, mate, what are you up for?’ [...] ‘Stealing, mostly.’ [...] ‘Stealing? Oh, you means “screwing”?’.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 20: ‘I got nicked for screwing. That’s my lark, really.’ Somehow, he felt ashamed at having to admit himself to be just an ordinary burglar.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 121: He’d been screwing – housebreaking – in and around London for four years.
1963		N. Dunn Up the Junction 91: I thought of going back to screwing for living.
1972		P. Fordham Inside the Und. 28: [They] settled down to what is known as professional ‘screwing’.
1977		G.F. Newman Villain’s Tale 34: A bit of screwing, that does me.

(b) (also screwing job) an act of burglary.

1935		G. Ingram Cockney Cavalcade 145: ‘I had it off last night.’ ‘You did? [...] Where? What? ‘Screwing’?’.
1938		J. Curtis They Drive by Night 104: ‘I’ll have to get some, that’s all.’ ‘How?’ ‘Do a screwing job.’.
1953		B. Behan Scarperer (1966) 40: A screwing job more than likely.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 21: I couldn’t see Monty Rose, much less Morry Norris, the Pussyfence, going out on a screwing job.
1958		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 18: Some good screwing jobs to be done around here.
1961		(con. 1920s) J. Sparks Burglar to the Nobility 105: They’re forced to do a screwing job and bust into one of the farms around the Moor.
1973		(con. mid-1960s) J. Patrick Glasgow Gang Observed 116: Tim’s standard reply to enquiries as to his intentions on release from the approved school, ‘Ah’m goin’ straight – straigh tae a screwin’ joab’.
1980		J. McClure Spike Island (1981) 531: The lad who’d been doing all these screwings, housebreakings and shopbreakings in the area was eighteen.

(a) punishment; harsh or unfair treatment.

1890		Sportsman 6 Dec. 7/1: He was next trained to run at Haydock in September, and got a good screwing for an unfurnished puppy sixteen months old .
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 187/1: Screwing. A raw deal; unwarranted abuse; a swindle; a betrayal.
1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 280: He’s just got fifty-one more screwings to go until next year.
2007		C. Goffard Snitch Jacket 9: It’s you who gets the screwing if you lie.

(b) sexual intercourse.

1851		Manchester Spy (NH) 24 May n.p.: On being asked [...] as to the business on which persons usually visited this house [i.e. a brothel] [s]he replied with a knowing wink that they ‘came to get screwing’ a term which appeared to be perfectly understood by the court.
1904		Lustful Memoirs of a Young and Passionated Girl 20: When he asked what I knew about getting in the family way, I said, ‘I know about screwing.’.
1923		R. McAlmon Companion Volume 248: Screwing [...] that’s what we’ll be doing in a minute.
1936		Bo Carter ‘All Around Man’ 🎵 Now I ain’t no plumber, no plumber’s son, / I can do your screwin’ till the plumber man comes.
1948		(con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 185: They’re no different from you and me, especially the ones that have had their screwing.
1955		J.P. Donleavy Ginger Man (1958) 264: The Irish feel that children are brought down upon them by the wrath of God for screwing.
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 37: I didn’t get much sleep at all, not through screwing or that, but just because I didn’t have me bed to meself.
1977		L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 133: Come home, Sweetstick, and bring the jewels, I could dig some good downhome screwing.
1992		R.G. Barrett Davo’s Little Something 14: Any lumbering or screwing that had to be done all took place at Davo’s unit.

(c) attrib. use of sense 2b.

c.1930

(ref. to late 19C) N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 118: They usually begin by building up a little screwing trade in the afternoons.

(d) cheating, fooling, deceiving.

1947		I. Shulman Amboy Dukes 148: She’s my girl and she gave me a screwing.
1952		(con. 1920s) ‘Harry Grey’ Hoods (1953) 182: The players certainly get a good screwing in that joint.
1965		L. Bruce How to Talk Dirty 75: It looked as if the store was taking a big screwing.
1973		G.V. Higgins Digger’s Game (1981) 18: That’s a screwing [...] I was only in here since six.
1977		(con. 1960s) D. Goines Black Gangster (1991) 232: That’s just who I figured you’d want to give the screwing to.