Idiom medium 27 / 51
“on tenterhooks”
i · The common misuse One wrong form
ii · What it meansTwo lines, no filler
A 'tenter' is a wooden frame for stretching cloth; the hooks hold the fabric taut. The idiom invokes that suspense. 'Tenderhooks' is a folk-etymology mishearing.
iii · Memory hookKeep this one
Tenterhooks come from the tenter frame. Nothing 'tender' about the wait — it's the tension.