cliffhanger

== English == === Alternative forms === cliff hanger, cliff-hanger === Etymology === From cliff +‎ hanger, evoking the image of someone left hanging from a cliff, thereby having an uncertain fate. The term cliffhanger is considered to have originated with the serialized version of Thomas Hardy's A Pair of Blue Eyes, published in Tinsley's Magazine in the 1870s, in which the character Henry Knight is left hanging off of a cliff. It was inspired by a real life story from his wife Emma's childhood, when she had to rescue one of her school friends from a similar position. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˌklɪfˈhæŋ.ə(ɹ)/ === Noun === cliffhanger (plural cliffhangers) (narratology) An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a story unresolved, in order to create suspense. Antonym: anticlimax (by extension) An outcome which is awaited with keen anticipation, especially one which is delayed for a period of time or which is not known until the last minute. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== cliffhanger on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Dangler (plot device) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from English cliffhanger. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: cliff‧han‧ger === Noun === cliffhanger m (plural cliffhangers, diminutive cliffhangertje n) (narratology) cliffhanger