tenterhook

American  

[ten-ter-hook] / ˈtɛn tərˌhʊk /

noun

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

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idioms

1. on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety.

   The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment.

tenterhook British  

/ ˈtɛntəˌhʊk /

noun

1. one of a series of hooks or bent nails used to hold cloth stretched on a tenter

2. in a state of tension or suspense

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Usage

What does tenterhook mean? A tenterhook is a hook used to attach cloth to a tenter—a frame on which cloth is stretched during the manufacturing process so that it can keep its shape while drying. Tenterhooks are no longer widely used in cloth manufacturing, and the word tenterhook is now almost exclusively used in the metaphorical phrase on tenterhooks, meaning in a state of painfully anxious suspense or tension. Being on tenterhooks typically involves being extremely nervous while awaiting the outcome of a tense situation, such as a close election, an exciting sports game, or a horror movie. Example: I’ve been on tenterhooks all morning waiting for the doctor’s office to call back with my test results.

Etymology

Origin of tenterhook

First recorded in 1470–80; tenter + hook ¹

Explanation

Long ago, a tenterhook was a special kind of hook that held drying cloth on a frame called a tenter. If someone is "on tenterhooks," it means they are in suspense — metaphorically hanging there, waiting for something. Tenters and tenterhooks were commonly used from the fourteenth century, both as an important part of the process of weaving woolen fabric. Starting sometime in the eighteenth century, the phrase "on tenterhooks" came to mean "in suspense," the way a piece of cloth is suspended from tenterhooks on a tenter. So you might say that after entering a contest, you're on tenterhooks waiting to see if you'll win.

Example Sentences

Pendency -- N. pendency†, dependency; suspension, hanging &c. v.; pedicel, pedicle, peduncle; tail, train, flap, skirt, pigtail, pony tail, pendulum; hangnail peg, knob, button, hook, nail, stud, ring, staple, tenterhook; fastening &c.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark