Tenterhooks \TEN-ter-hooks\, noun:
1. On tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety.
2. One of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter.
~I have to say, I didn't realize the hooks used to set up a tent had their own name, but I'm intrigued by the first definition - Uneasy suspense or painful anxiety - hmmm I can think of several places I could use this word, but would it pull the reader out of the story?~
That word was used quite a bit when I was growing up, in speech and in fiction. While I knew what it meant, I didn't know the origin. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBut, yeah, these days unless you're writing a story in a certain time period, it could take a reader out of the story.
Wow...used a lot, huh. Interesting how words fall out of use over time then comeback. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, this word would definitely pull me out of a story. LOL