on tenterhooks
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on tenterhooks
- /ˌɒn ˈtɛntəhʊks/ UK
- /ˌɔn ˈtɛntəɹˌhʊks/ US
- /ˌɑn-/ US, cot caught merger
- [-ɾəɹ-] US
Where it comes from
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.
phrase on tender hooks · on the tenterhooks
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In a state of (great) apprehension or suspense; on pins and needles; on the rack.
I made no reply, but left him upon the tenter-hooks of impatient uncertainty.
Similar: in suspense, on tenters, on the tenters
Translations
Every language
prep_phrase in a state of (great) apprehension or suspense; on pins and needles
| Español | en vilo |
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Talk about this word "on tenterhooks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/on%20tenterhooks. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. on tenterhooks. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/on%20tenterhooks "on tenterhooks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/on%20tenterhooks.Cite this
@misc{on_tenterhooks_2026,
title = {on tenterhooks},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/on%20tenterhooks},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
