noun
a frame on which cloth is stretched for drying or finishing
preposition
a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause
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The investors were on tenterhooks waiting for the quarterly financial report.
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I'm on tenterhooks waiting to hear back about my job application.
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I was on tenterhooks waiting for my crush to text me back.
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The whole town was on tenterhooks as they awaited the results of the election.