Question

On Tenterhooks uncertain, anxious, very tense; in painful suspense about how something will turn out

Accepted Answer

Steven waited on tenterhooks to see if he would win the award. In the mid-1700s, when this saying originated, a tenter was a frame for stretching newly woven cloth. The "tenterhook" was a hook or bent nail that held the cloth to the tenter. At that time a person who was worried sick not knowing the outcome of a situation was said to be "on tenters," meaning that their emotions were stretched out tensely. Later the phrase became "on tenterhooks," which expressed even sharper and more intense feeling.

Idiom	On Tenterhooks
Example	Steven waited on tenterhooks to see if he would win the award.
Meaning	uncertain, anxious, very tense; in painful suspense about how something will turn out
Origin	In the mid-1700s, when this saying originated, a tenter was a frame for stretching newly woven cloth. The "tenterhook" was a hook or bent nail that held the cloth to the tenter. At that time a person who was worried sick not knowing the outcome of a situation was said to be "on tenters," meaning that their emotions were stretched out tensely. Later the phrase became "on tenterhooks," which expressed even sharper and more intense feeling.

Tenterhooks Steven Waited Win Award Uncertain Anxious Tense