Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
tenterhooks
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Both of us were on tenterhooks for reasons both intellectual and commercial.
▪ Everyone had been waiting on tenterhooks on the platform, as they had been technically ready for more than a day.
▪ For the remainder of the carol I was on tenterhooks, not daring to take my eyes from the lectern.
▪ He was still on tenterhooks waiting for his directors' decision about the manager's job.
▪ Louis was reconstituting the royal family, keeping his adult sons on tenterhooks.
▪ Nutty watched on tenterhooks as Hoomey took in his new situation: the centre of an admiring crowd.
▪ She had been on tenterhooks all night expecting Joe to return at any moment from Port Eynon.
▪ Time has me dangling on its tenterhooks.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
tenterhooks
n. (plural of tenterhook English)
Wikipedia
Tenterhooks (album)
Tenterhooks was Chris Mars' third studio album. Its title comes from the tenterhooks used to stretch cloth.
Usage examples of "tenterhooks".
But he would keep the painted gutter-hound on tenterhooks for as long as possible.
Let me just say, I am on tenterhooks awaiting the coming of this revolution!