tenterhook

[ ten-ter-hoo k ]
/ ˈtɛn tərˌhʊk /

noun

one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.

Idioms for tenterhook

    on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety: The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment.

Origin of tenterhook

First recorded in 1470–80; tenter + hook1

British Dictionary definitions for on tenterhooks

tenterhook
/ (ˈtɛntəˌhʊk) /

noun

one of a series of hooks or bent nails used to hold cloth stretched on a tenter
on tenterhooks in a state of tension or suspense

Cultural definitions for on tenterhooks

on tenterhooks

To be kept on tenterhooks is to be held in a state of nervous apprehension: “We've been on tenterhooks since the election results started coming in.”

notes for on tenterhooks

A tenterhook was a hooked device used in the 1700s to secure newly woven cloth onto a frame.

Idioms and Phrases with on tenterhooks

on tenterhooks

In a state of painful suspense, as in We were on tenterhooks all through the game, hoping against hope that our team would win. This expression alludes to hooks that formerly were used to hold newly woven cloth that was being stretched on a frame. Their name has long survived this method of manufacture. [Mid-1700s]