on tenterhooks

Meaning: In anxious suspense.

Example: “We were on tenterhooks until the results came through.”

Origin: A tenter was a wooden frame on which newly woven cloth was stretched tight to dry, held by hooks along its edges. Being on tenterhooks is being stretched the same way. The phrase is recorded from the 18th century.

Equivalents in other languages

Italian: sulle spine Literally: On thorns

More English idioms

start off on the wrong foot To begin something badly.
take one's breath away To astonish someone with beauty or surprise.
go away empty-handed To get nothing at all.
hit rock bottom To reach the lowest possible point.
work one's fingers to the bone To work extremely hard.
watch one's back To stay alert to hidden threats.

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Equivalents in other languages

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