To be on the tenter-hooks
- To be on the tenter-hooks
- Tenter Ten"ter, n. [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a
stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L.
tendere, tentum, to stretch. See {Tend} to move.]
A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks,
called tenter-hooks, so that it may dry even and square.
[1913 Webster]
{Tenter ground}, a place where tenters are erected.
{Tenter-hook}, a sharp, hooked nail used for fastening cloth
on a tenter.
{To be on the tenters}, {To be on the tenter-hooks} or {To be
on tenterhooks}, to be on the stretch; to be in distress,
uneasiness, or suspense. --Hudibras.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
2000.
Look at other dictionaries:
Tenter — Ten ter, n. [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See {Tend} to move.] A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks, called tenter hooks, so… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tenter ground — Tenter Ten ter, n. [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See {Tend} to move.] A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks, called tenter… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tenter-hook — Tenter Ten ter, n. [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See {Tend} to move.] A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks, called tenter… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To be on the tenters — Tenter Ten ter, n. [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See {Tend} to move.] A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks, called tenter… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To be on tenterhooks — Tenter Ten ter, n. [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See {Tend} to move.] A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks, called tenter… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tenterhook — For the album by musician Chris Mars, see Tenterhooks (album) .Tenterhooks were used as far back as the fourteenth century in the process of making woollen cloth. After the cloth had been woven it still contained oil from the fleece and some dirt … Wikipedia
Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills — was one of three Royal gunpowder mills that manufactured gunpowder for the British Government. The Ballincollig gunpowder mills were opened in the late 18th Century; and were bought by the Board of Ordnance in 1804. They are situated in the town… … Wikipedia
textile — /teks tuyl, til/, n. 1. any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting. 2. a material, as a fiber or yarn, used in or suitable for weaving: Glass can be used as a textile. adj. 3. woven or capable of being woven: textile fabrics. 4 … Universalium
tenterhooks — (n.) late 15c., one of the hooks that holds cloth on a tenter, from TENTER (Cf. tenter) + HOOK (Cf. hook) (n.). The figurative phrase on tenterhooks in painful suspense is from 1748; earlier to be on tenters (1530s) … Etymology dictionary
tenterhook — /ten teuhr hook /, n. 1. one of the hooks or bent nails that hold cloth stretched on a tenter. 2. on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety: The movie keeps one on tenterhooks until the very last moment. [1470 80; TENTER +… … Universalium
