On Tenterhooks

Etymology:

• The idiom originated in the 18th century when a tenter was used to stretch the woven cloth. The hook used to hold the woven cloth to the tenter was named “tenterhook.” In the 18th century the term “on tenters” was used as a reference for a person who is worryingly sick due to a situation about to happen at a later stage. With the passage of time, the expression was modified to “tenterhooks” as the hooks are sharper to show the intensity of feeling.