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What does the phrase on tenterhooks mean?
waiting nervously for something to happen
The phrase “on tenterhooks” means “waiting nervously for something to happen.” A tenterhook is literally a sharp hook that fastens cloth to a tenter, a frame on which cloth is stretched, like a tent, for even drying to prevent shrinkage. Other property owners in the area remain on tenterhooks.
Why is it called tenterhooks?
It comes from the Latin word tentus, which means “to stretch.” The word ‘tenterhooks’ comes from the metal hooks that manufacturers used to stretch wool on a tenter while it dried.
How would you be feeling if you were on tenterhooks?
Definition of ‘be on tenterhooks’ If you are on tenterhooks, you are very nervous and excited because you are wondering what is going to happen in a particular situation. He was still on tenterhooks waiting for his directors’ decision about the job.
Are hook hooks or tenter hooks?
On tenterhooks NOT on tender hooks This phrase, meaning worried anticipation, comes from the word ‘tenter’ which was a frame on which cloth was stretched to prevent shrinking. A tender hook isn’t a thing. “I’m on tenterhooks waiting for my exam results!”
What is the story behind the idiom Penelope’s web?
Refers to The Odyssey, in which Odysseus’s wife Penelope weaves and unweaves Laertes’s burial shroud each day, so as to avoid having to choose a suitor. (She is expected to choose a suitor after finishing the shroud.)
What is the meaning of the idiom throw in the towel?
To quit in defeat. The phrase comes from boxing, in which a fighter indicates surrender by throwing a towel into the ring: “After losing the election, he threw in the towel on his political career.”
What does the word Penelope mean?
weaver
Penelope is an elegant Greek name that means “weaver.” Its origin is traced back to Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey,” a staple of Greek mythology that reached immense fame across the world. His wife, Penelope, wards off countless suitors as she awaits his homecoming.
What does the idiom upset the apple cart mean?
spoil everything
Spoil carefully laid plans, as in Now don’t upset the applecart by revealing where we’re going. This expression started out as upset the cart, used since Roman times to mean “spoil everything.” The precise idiom dates from the late 1700s.
What does the phrase ” on tenterhooks ” mean?
The suspense is killing us. The phrase “on tenterhooks” means “waiting nervously for something to happen.” A tenterhook is literally a sharp hook that fastens cloth to a tenter, a frame on which cloth is stretched, like a tent, for even drying to prevent shrinkage.
Where does the word ” tenter ” come from in a sentence?
Tenter comes from the Middle English tente, which means “to stretch” and derives from the Latin tēnsus, meaning “tense.” The word tenter was formerly used as a synonym for tenterhook, and the expression on tenters was used before on tenterhooks to mean the same thing.
Why are the army chiefs on tenterhooks today?
The elimination final started on tenterhooks for both sides as the scoring was slow and the passages of play at times cumbersome. Army chiefs were on tenterhooks today ahead of a major announcement on the future of an historic West Yorkshire regiment.
How many people live on a Tenterhook in Germany?
Recent Examples on the Web Many of Germany’s two million migrants from Turkey live on tenterhooks. — Can Dündar, Time, 25 Feb. 2020 This news ought to have the top three players on tenterhooks.