on tenterhooks

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR C1

Post

Example

“We were on tenterhooks until the hospital called with the test results.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

champ at the bit Neutral · CEFR B2

to feel intensely ready to begin after being forced to wait

with bated breath Neutral · CEFR B2

while waiting with intense eagerness or anxiety for something to happen

bright and early Neutral · CEFR A2

at the very start of the morning

early bird Neutral · CEFR A2

someone who prefers beginning the day before most other people

hang on a minute Informal · CEFR A2

used to ask someone to wait, or to express surprise or objection

so far so good Informal · CEFR A2

used to say that things have gone well up to now

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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