Tenterhook
Hooked nail for use in a tenterframe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the album by musician Chris Mars, see Tenterhooks (album).
"Tenter" redirects here. For the specialised oven also known as a Tenter, see Stenter.
Tenterhooks or tenter hooks are hooked nails in a device called a tenter. Tenters were wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth. They are now superseded by stenter pins.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/H._Barns_%26_Sons_-_trade_catalogue_-1822_-_03_%28Tenter_Hook%29.jpg/320px-H._Barns_%26_Sons_-_trade_catalogue_-1822_-_03_%28Tenter_Hook%29.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Tenter_Frames%2C_Otterburn_Mill%2C_Northumberland.jpg/640px-Tenter_Frames%2C_Otterburn_Mill%2C_Northumberland.jpg)
The phrase "on tenterhooks" has become a metaphor for nervous anticipation.