tenterhook

UK: /ˈtɛntə^rhʊks/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ten•ter•hook /ˈtɛntɚˌhʊk/   n. [countable] Idioms

1. Idioms on tenterhooks, in a state of suspense or anxiety:
   on tenterhooks waiting for the results of the lab test.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ten•ter•hook  (ten′tər hŏŏk′), n. 

1. Textiles one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.
2. Informal Terms on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety:
   The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment.

• tenter + hook 1470–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tenterhook / ˈtɛntəˌhʊk/ noun

1. one of a series of hooks or bent nails used to hold cloth stretched on a tenter
2. on tenterhooks ⇒ in a state of tension or suspense