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Meaning of "tenterhooks" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF TENTERHOOKS

tenterhooks  [ˈtɛntəhʊks] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TENTERHOOKS

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Tenterhooks is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES TENTERHOOKS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Tenterhook

Tenterhooks are hooks in a device called a tenter. Tenters were originally large wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth. After a piece of cloth was woven, it still contained oil from the fleece and some dirt. A craftsperson called a fuller cleaned the woollen cloth in a fulling mill, and then had to dry it carefully or the woollen fabric would shrink. To prevent this shrinkage, the fuller would place the wet cloth on a tenter, and leave it to dry outdoors. The lengths of wet cloth were stretched on the tenter using tenterhooks all around the perimeter of the frame to which the cloth's edges were fixed, so that as it dried the cloth would retain its shape and size. In some manufacturing areas, entire tenter-fields, larger open spaces full of tenters, were once common. By the mid-18th century, the phrase "on tenterhooks" came to mean being in a state of tension, uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, i.e. figuratively stretched like the cloth on the tenter. John Ford's 1633 play Broken Heart contains the lines: "There is no faith in woman.

Definition of tenterhooks in the English dictionary

The definition of tenterhooks in the dictionary is on tenterhooks in a state of tension or suspense.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH TENTERHOOKS


books
bʊks
Brooks
brʊks
coax
kəʊks
Crookes
krʊks
folks
fəʊks
Fuchs
fʊks
gentlefolks
ˈdʒentlˌfəʊks
hoax
həʊks
kinfolks
ˈkɪnfəʊks
menfolks
ˈmɛnˌfəʊks
Oaks
əʊks
stokes
stəʊks
womenfolks
ˈwɪmɪnˌfəʊks
workfolks
ˈwɜːkˌfəʊks

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TENTERHOOKS

tentaculum
tentage
tentation
tentative
tentatively
tentativeness
tented
tented arch
tenter
tenterhook
tentful
tenth
tenth-grader
tenthly
tentie
tentiginous
tentigo
tentless
tentlike
tentmaker

WORDS THAT END LIKE TENTERHOOKS

black books
close the books
cook the books
gadzooks
good looks
in someone´s bad books
in someone´s black books
in someone´s good books
keep the books
looks
odzooks
on tenterhooks
on the books
Sibylline Books
symbolical books
to close the books
to cook the books
to go into the record books

Synonyms and antonyms of tenterhooks in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «tenterhooks» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF TENTERHOOKS

Find out the translation of tenterhooks to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of tenterhooks from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «tenterhooks» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

提心吊胆
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

ascuas
570 millions of speakers

English

tenterhooks
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

tenterhooks
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

احر من الجمر
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

иголках
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

tenterhooks
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

উদ্বেগপূর্ণ অনিশ্চিত অবস্থা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

charbons ardents
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tenterhooks
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Atem
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

tenterhooks
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

tenterhooks
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Tenterhooks
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

tenterhooks
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

வந்ததையடுத்து
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

टेंटरहूकस
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

diken
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

spine
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

szpilkach
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

голках
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

ghimpi
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ανήσυχος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

hete kole
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

tenterhooks
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tenterhooks
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of tenterhooks

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TENTERHOOKS»

The term «tenterhooks» is regularly used and occupies the 79.713 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
63
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «tenterhooks» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of tenterhooks
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «tenterhooks».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TENTERHOOKS» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «tenterhooks» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «tenterhooks» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about tenterhooks

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TENTERHOOKS»

Discover the use of tenterhooks in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to tenterhooks and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Tenterhooks
This book is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS series. The creators of this series are united by passion for literature and driven by the intention of making all public domain books available in printed format again - worldwide.
Ada Leverson, 2012
2
Tenterhooks
The best book yet from this witty writer In 'Slipping the Clutch', Miranda walks out of Boots one day into beautiful, beloved, fast-living Uncle Robbie who, years beforehan, taught her to drive in his Alfa Romeo and then died in his Lagonda ...
Suzannah Dunn, 2014
3
On Tenterhooks
Would you take that chance? Of course you would. Eventually, we all would.But what happens when they respond back? Find out. Get Hooked. On Tenterhooks.
Greever Williams, 2012
4
Tenterhooks
Tenterhooks tells the story of Jasmine, who is sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle in the country while her Mum has a baby.She meets a rather unusual couple who are having a baby of their own and as the birth of both babies comes closer, ...
Mary Steele, 1997
5
Implementing the Precautionary Principle: Perspectives and ...
4. The. precautionary. principle. and. catastrophism. on. tenterhooks: lessons. from. a. constitutional. reform. in. France. Olivier Godard1 INTRODUCTION The precautionary principle (PP) has been introduced and progressively acknowledged ...
Elizabeth Charlotte Fisher, Judith S. Jones, René von Schomberg, 2006
6
Useful Bodies: Humans in the Service of Medical Science in ...
As he told Mellanby: I have been on tenterhooks about this work, as it has been carried out in patients with rheumatoid arthritis under the guise of homologous serum jaundice. . . . Ihave become increasingly uneasy about the issue raised [of  ...
Jordan Goodman, Anthony McElligott, Lara Marks, 2004
7
The Word of God Opened. Its Inspiration, Canon, and ...
'I say, Stetson, what did you mean by calling tenterhooks proof, the other day, “ Bible proof?” I am sure if I had the good evidence for the Bible that I had for my cloth, I would never doubt it again.' ' You have the same, only better, for the Bible.
Bradford Kinney PEIRCE, 1868
8
Joyce's Finnegans Wake: The Curse of Kabbalah
... would re- tain its shape and size.[1] At one time it would have been common in manufacturing areas to see tenter-fields full of these frames. By the mid- eighteenth century the phrase “on tenterhooks” came into 218 Joyce's Finnegans Wake.
John P. Anderson, 2010
9
The New Labrador Papers of Captain George Cartwright
Drive tenterhooks into each side of it at proper distances from each other and those on one side must be opposite to the centre between those on the other. Split the fish, take out all the back-bone, excepting about two inches next to the tail, ...
George Cartwright, Marianne Stopp, 2008
10
Faint heart never won fair lady
Outside bells are scarce here, seemingly ; but there's spikes and tenterhooks in plenty : look at 'em, Mounseer, how they runs along the tops of the palings, like sharks' teeth, only crookeder. Nothing rips up the inexpressibles or makes such ...
Dudley Costello, 1859

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TENTERHOOKS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term tenterhooks is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Yakub Memon case: Adjournment puts kin on tenterhooks
MUMBAI: The Supreme Court adjourned Yakub Memon's plea against his execution to Tuesday, it gave his family a breather, but also put them on tenterhooks ... «Times of India, Jul 15»
2
Bond Traders Put on Tenterhooks After Greece Given New Deadline
Bond investors who pushed up prices of Spanish and Italian securities on speculation a Greek bailout deal was in sight will have to put that optimism at bay. «Bloomberg, Jul 15»
3
Greek Australians on tenterhooks over referendum
Ruth Wynn Williams. ONE News Australia Correspondent. Greek Australians on tenterhooks over referendum. 02:04. Thousands of Greeks on this side of the ... «TVNZ, Jul 15»
4
Accused Aaron McCarey 'on tenterhooks'
The Wolves chief said: “It's been quite a tough time for Aaron over the months where they've been obviously gathering information and he's been on tenterhooks, ... «expressandstar.com, Jul 15»
5
Greece may keep Dalal Street on tenterhooks this week, volatility …
MUMBAI: Growing uncertainty over Greece's future in the Eurozone amid worries about an imminent debt default may keep investors in India on edge this week. «Economic Times, Jun 15»
6
Kieran Foran leaves Manly and Parramatta on tenterhooks
Kieran Foran kept Manly and Parramatta on tenterhooks last night as a pressing personal issue took precedent over the contract wrangle that has dominated the ... «The Australian, Jun 15»
7
Deal or No Deal? Greece Remains on Tenterhooks
Significant divisions remain between Greece and its international creditors over measures Athens must implement before receiving desperately needed bailout ... «Wall Street Journal, Jun 15»
8
Macro Horizons: Greece, Fed Keep Investors on Tenterhooks
Macro Horizons covers the main macroeconomic and policy news events affecting foreign-exchange, fixed income and equity markets around the world, ... «Wall Street Journal, Jun 15»
9
Spurt in fraud at ATMs keep Srikakulam police on tenterhooks
With many complaints over poor security at ATMs of various banks in Srikakulam district, many cases of cheating during the transactions reported, the Police ... «The Hindu, Jun 15»
10
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on tenterhooks
A severe storm warning left Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on tenterhooks with their French Open semi-final showdown suspended midway through the fourth ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Tenterhooks [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/tenterhooks>. Apr 2024 ».
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