The phrase “on tenterhooks” means anxiously waiting. It originated from the fabric-making process in which cloth was stretched on hooks to prevent shrinking. The modern comparison is using a tent. The expression is still used today to describe someone who is tense and waiting.
Being on tenterhooks is a phrase that tends to mean that you’re anxiously or tensely waiting, or just plain anxious. This usage appeared in the 1700s and was well understood at the time. You may use the expression today and be fully understood, but people may wonder what thorns actually are, since they are no longer in common use.
The initial use of the modern idiom was metaphorical. Being on pins and needles specifically referred to the fabric-making process employed in Europe as early as the Middle Ages. After the fabric had been ground and washed, it had to be dried, but that was a problem. Normally, drying meant the fabric would shrink significantly, which was undesirable. Fabric manufacturers would make less profit if the fabric shrinks, as the fabric was sold in lengths. Less fabric after the drying process translates into less money for the fabric manufacturer. To avoid losing profits and precious fabrics, the cloth was stretched during the drying process to prevent it from shrinking.
Curtain meant that the fabric was taut or suspended, like a curtain, and usually attached to hooks, often simple nails, which were, as you might guess, called hooks. Thus the cloth on the hooks was strung tight to dry. This sped up the drying process and prevented the cloth from shrinking. The actual draping process was usually accomplished via small or large devices called stretchers, usually wooden frames onto which the fabric would be attached to hooks.
Turnbuckles are no longer in common use and, as such, crampons have largely disappeared from use. The closest modern comparison might actually be using a tent, which is normally canvas or nylon stretched over a frame and then hooked or pinned to keep it stable. Although the name tenterhooks or tenters is no longer used, the current expression survives the old process.
As such, a person on their toes is tense and waiting, translating to anxiety. Someone waiting for a job offer, the answer to an important decision, or a sequel to a book can be said to be waiting on tenterhooks.
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