Tenterhook
ahd-5
noun.
A hooked nail for securing cloth on a tenter.
idiom.
(
on tenterhooks
) In a state of uneasiness, suspense, or anxiety.
Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
noun.
one of a series of
hooks
used to
stretch
cloth
on a
tenter
Word Usage
" A tenterhook was a hooked device used in the 1700s to secure newly woven cloth onto a frame."
Form
on tenterhooks