The lengths of wet cloth were stretched on the tenter using tenterhooks, hooked nails made with a long shank that was driven into the wooden tenter frame around its perimeter, on which the selvedges …

When someone is in a state of uneasiness or suspense, you might say that person is on tenterhooks. We're on the edge of our seats to learn more. Other property owners in the area remain on tenterhooks.

To be ‘on tenterhooks’ is to be in a state of uncomfortable suspense or impatience. What's the origin of the phrase 'On tenterhooks'? Tenterhooks aren’t connected with tents, nor are they the hooks used …

To be on tenterhooks means to be stretched tight or to be tense while in anticipation or suspense. The phrase is often preceded by "waiting," which emphasizes the quality of anxious uncertainty, a kind of …

It would be quite impossible to keep a man on tenterhooks for 24 hours. They are on tenterhooks—their livelihoods are at stake and their families do not know what will happen. It will be welcomed by the …

Nov 27, 2023 · The expression "on tenterhooks" conveys a state of anxious anticipation or suspense, as if someone is waiting for a crucial outcome or event. The phrase can be applied in numerous …

Definition: In suspense; in a nervous state. This expression would have been easier to understand many years ago, when tenters and tenterhooks were still commonly seen. Nowadays, these items are so …

If you are on tenterhooks, you are very nervous or excited, because you are keen to know what is going to happen. The market was on tenterhooks about the size of the rate cut. `It was a good match …

On tenterhooks In a state of agonising suspense, the expression dates from the mid-18th century but is preceded by an earlier expression ‘on tenters’ meaning the same thing that dates from the 1500s.

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.”