on tenterhooks
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
In a state of anxious suspense or uncertainty
Literally: hooks used to stretch and dry tent fabric
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Zoff detailed the drama behind the scenes as Gazza was kept on tenterhooks for the past four days, wondering whether he would make his Italian debut.
So these are hangings erm hung on tenterhooks directly hammered straight into the wall.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “on tenterhooks” mean?
In a state of anxious suspense or uncertainty Literally: hooks used to stretch and dry tent fabric
Is “on tenterhooks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.