TENTERHOOK


Meaning of TENTERHOOK in English

/ten"teuhr hook'/ , n.

1. one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.

2. on tenterhooks , in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety: The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment.

[ 1470-80; TENTER + HOOK ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .