on tenterhooks

English

Etymology

Metaphorically stretched taut, on tenterhooks.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɒn ˈtɛn.təɹˌhʊks/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

on tenterhooks

1. (idiomatic) In a state of suspense or apprehension.
   • 1921, John Galsworthy, chapter 12, in The Forsyte Saga, part 1:

     Why do you keep me on tenterhooks like this, putting me off and off?

   • 2023 July 21, Philip Oltermann, “Escaped ‘lioness’ in Berlin was most likely a wild boar, mayor says”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     A 30-hour search for an escaped lioness that had residents on the southern fringes of Berlin shelter in their homes and the rest of the German capital on tenterhooks has found that what was thought to be an exotic feline predator was most likely a common wild pig.

Synonyms

• on pins and needles

Translations

on pins and needles — see on pins and needles