Is the saying tenterhooks or Tenderhooks?

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. The tenterhook kept the cloth tense and tight – hence the expression. A tender hook isn’t a thing.

What does the saying on tenterhooks mean?

in a state of uneasiness or suspense
When someone is in a state of uneasiness or suspense, you might say that person is on tenterhooks. We’re on the edge of our seats to learn more. Other property owners in the area remain on tenterhooks.

What does tenterhooks mean in British?

worried or nervous
Meaning of tenterhooks in English worried or nervous about something that is going to happen: We were on tenterhooks all morning waiting for the phone to ring. Anxious and worried.

Is there such a word as Tenderhooks?

keep (one) on tenterhooks To cause one to remain in a continual state of anxious, excited, or nervous anticipation. “Tenterhooks,” often mistakenly written or pronounced as “tenderhooks,” were the hooks on a frame called a “tenter.” They were used to fasten stretched cloth to allow it to dry.

Where did the expression on tenterhooks come from?

Towards the end of World War I, the process was brought inside and dried by steam heating. The saying ‘to be on tenterhooks’ originated from this method of controlled drying, used to mean being in a state of uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense.

Are tenterhooks still used?

The OED says it is now a rare or obscure saying, but people also used to say they were “on tenters” or “on the tenter” to mean the same thing as “on tenterhooks.” So remember, you aren’t on tenderhooks. You’re on tenterhooks.

Where did the saying tenterhooks come from?

Who says tenterhooks?

Tenter is from the Latin tendere, to stretch. It has been used in English since the 14th century. Soon afterwards “on tenters” became a phrase meaning painful anxiety. On tenterhooks seems first to have been used in his novel The Adventures of Roderick Random by Tobias Smollett in 1748.

What does on tenterhooks mean?

The phrase compares the tenseness of the fabric to the feeling of being very tense. When someone is in a state of uneasiness or suspense, you might say that person is on tenterhooks. We’re on the edge of our seats to learn more. Other property owners in the area remain on tenterhooks.

Where does the figurative expression’on tenterhooks’come from?

It is easy to see how the figurative expression ‘on tenterhooks’, with its meaning of painful tension, derived from the ‘tenting’ or stretching of fabric. The expression was originally ‘on the tenters’.

Are You on tenterhooks about rate cut?

If you are on tenterhooks, you are very nervous or excited, because you are keen to know what is going to happen. The market was on tenterhooks about the size of the rate cut. `It was a good match wasn’t it?

What is a tenter?

A tenter, from the Latin word meaning stretch, is a wooden frame that people use to make woolen cloth. After weaving the wool, wool workers still need to clean away the dirt without shrinking the material.