ALL meanings of on tenterhooks
on ten·ter·hook
O o - noun on tenterhooks one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter. 1
- idioms on tenterhooks on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety: The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment. 1
- noun on tenterhooks in a state of tension or suspense 0
- noun on tenterhooks in suspense; filled with anxiety 0