TENTERHOOK

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Dr. Goodword
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TENTERHOOK

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu May 03, 2007 11:04 pm

• tenterhook •

Pronunciation: tent-êr-hUk • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: One of many pointed pins or hooks fitted around tenter, a frame for stretching skins, cloth, or similar materials to prevent shrinkage.

Notes: Even though being stretched on tenterhooks would make your skin tender, tenterhooks are not tender hooks. A tenter is a frame for stretching thin sheets of material. Tenters were used widely by hunters who stretched animal skins on them and housewives who stretched curtains and drapes on them before the advent of non-shrinking materials. In fact, this Good Word survives today almost exclusively in the phrase "to be on tenterhooks", the equivalent of being on pins and needles—in a highly anticipatory state of awareness.

In Play: "On pins and needles" is probably replacing "on tenterhooks" as more and more of us forget what tenterhooks are. However, at this point we still have our choice: "Wally's chemistry exam has him on tenterhooks: whether he goes to med school depends on his grade in that course." This word and tenter itself are also available in metaphors of stretching: "All of Philip's tales about his fishing exploits come from the tenter (or tenterhooks) of his imagination."

Word History: Tenter comes from Latin tentorium "shelter made of stretched skins," from tendere "to stretch," also the origin of tent as you probably have already guessed. The root of this verb underlies many other English borrowings, such as extend, portend, and intend. The original Proto-Indo-European root came to English through its proto-Germanic ancestors as thin. When you stretch a skin it becomes hard, which explains why tetanus was borrowed from Greek tetanus "stiff, rigid". In Persian the N in this word was replaced by R, producing tar "string," now a part of Hindi sitar, a stringed instrument. (We've kept you on tenterhooks long enough: Alan Janesch is the one we must thank for today's curiously Good Word.)
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Postby scw1217 » Fri May 04, 2007 3:08 pm

Very cool word today, good Dr. I had never given this one any thought, though I had heard the phrase before.
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Postby skinem » Sat May 05, 2007 11:54 am

A pet peeve of mine is to hear people say it as tenderhooks...sounds like an oxymoron to me.

When younger, I used to cure hides. Never any idea there was a connection to tetanus. Interesting.

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Postby Stargzer » Sun May 06, 2007 3:23 am

A pet peeve of mine is to hear people say it as tenderhooks...sounds like an oxymoron to me.

When younger, I used to cure hides. Never any idea there was a connection to tetanus. Interesting.
Only if you prick your finger on one, I would guess.
Regards//Larry

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Postby skinem » Sun May 06, 2007 5:31 pm

Ha! I surely employ some unclear writing...but it does make it entertaining!

I actually meant I had no idea that tenterhooks and tetanus were related in any way linguistically speaking...as it were.

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Postby Stargzer » Mon May 07, 2007 1:09 pm

We knew, we knew; we are just a weisenheimer.
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

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Postby Perry » Mon May 07, 2007 1:33 pm

Quick definitions (weisenheimer)

noun: an upstart who makes conceited, sardonic, insolent comments
No, I think not. More a wag, I would say.
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
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skinem
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Postby skinem » Mon May 07, 2007 2:06 pm

What!? There are weisenheimers AND wags here?

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Postby gailr » Mon May 07, 2007 7:54 pm

We knew, we knew; we are just a weisenheimer.
Would that be the Pluralis Majestatis or are you channeling Genesis? Or―gulp―Mark 5?

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Postby Stargzer » Tue May 08, 2007 6:23 pm

Quick definitions (weisenheimer)

noun: an upstart who makes conceited, sardonic, insolent comments
No, I think not. More a wag, I would say.
wag (n.)
"person fond of making jokes," 1553, perhaps a shortening of waghalter "gallows bird," person destined to swing in a noose or halter, applied humorously to mischievous children, from wag (v.) + halter. Or possibly directly from wag (v.).
[Bart returns unexpectedly after being sentenced to death]
Charlie: They said you was hung.
Bart: And they was right.
--- Blazing Saddles
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee


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