on tenterhooks

== English == === Alternative forms === on tender hooks (misconstruction), on the tenterhooks === Etymology === Metaphorically stretched taut, like a piece of cloth on a tenter (“a framework upon which cloth is stretched and dried”) secured by tenterhooks. First attested in the mid-1700s. === Pronunciation === enPR: ŏn′ tĕn′tər-ho͝oks′, ôn′ tĕn′tər-ho͝oks′ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɒn ˈtɛntəhʊks/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɔn ˈtɛntəɹˌhʊks/, (cot–caught merger) /ˌɑn-/, [-ɾəɹ-] Hyphenation: on ten‧ter‧hooks === Prepositional phrase === on tenterhooks (idiomatic) In a state of (great) apprehension or suspense; on pins and needles; on the rack. Synonyms: in suspense; (obsolete) on tenters, on the tenters ==== Translations ==== === See also === === References === === Further reading === tenterhook on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “on tenterhooks, phrase” under “tenterhook, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.