tenterhook

noun

1. one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.

Idioms

2. on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety: The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment.

noun

1. one of a series of hooks or bent nails used to hold cloth stretched on a tenter
2. on tenterhooks in a state of tension or suspense