Idioms

suspense

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keep (one) in suspense

To cause one to remain in a state of anxious apprehension. Well, don't keep me in suspense—tell me what happened next! The TV show kept audiences in suspense with a big cliffhanger at the end of the season finale.
See also: keep, suspense

the suspense is killing me

cliché I am overcome with anxious excitement or apprehension about some unknown outcome. A: "The professor said our test results would be posted online sometime this afternoon." B: "I know—the suspense is killing me!"
See also: killing, suspense
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

keep someone in (a state of) suspense

to make someone wait anxiously for something. Tell us what happened. Don't keep us in a state of suspense. Don't keep me in suspense!
See also: keep, suspense
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

the suspense is killing me

I can’t wait to learn the outcome. This hyperbole of impatience is a twentieth-century expression of an age-old idea. “Suspense in news is torture, speak them out,” wrote John Milton (Samson Agonistes, 1671). Jonathan Swift claimed, “It is a miserable thing to live in suspense; it is the life of a spider” (Thoughts on Various Subjects, 1714), and F. E. Smedley wrote, “Suspense, that toothache of the mind” (Frank Fairlegh, 1850).
See also: killing, suspense
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
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References in periodicals archive
His novels were characterised by a blend of mystery, adventure, suspense, violence, romance and comedy, achieving massive popularity across a broad readership in South Asia.
Meanwhile, the fact that the killer's identity is revealed about half-an-hour in does very little to ramp up the suspense.
Full of suspense, enthralling and strong from start to finish, this is a must-read for fans of Sophie Mckenzie and Ali Sparkes.
This situation--a man pimping his lover or her being pimped by her lover to an evil and dangerous man--is intensely dramatic for several reasons, and the suspense proceeds on two levels.
Seriously speaking, contradictory views voiced over India,Pakistan relations have only added to a veneer of suspense over their diplomatic ties.
The first mention of "shako," a tall and cylindrical hat, occurs in Suspense (first published in 1925).
Nuyorican Poets Cafe Short Story Slam winner Sierra Kay's new suspense novel From Behind The Curtain is to be released this month, it was reported on Tuesday.
A CATWALK king and a queen of suspense received honorary degrees in Newcastle.
The suspense needed a more solid cast to leave an impact.
TELECOMWORLDWIRE-June 11, 2012--WWE Studios buys Rodin suspense thriller(C)1994-2012 M2 COMMUNICATIONS http://www.m2.com
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