What are these?

[Blow-in]

I'm after the name and purpose of these things....

Richard

 

[garry71]

Is it a strip of carpet track, for holding carpet edges in place?

Cheers
Garry

 

[Blow-in]

Hi Garry,

You are on the right lines in a way but nothing to do with carpet.

Richard

 

[thelps]

Is it for holding wool or another type of animal skin on the wall?

 

[Blow-in]

Not animal skins. Hold on to holding!

Richard

 

[Orol]

For a fence mesh?

Peter

 

[thelps]

To hold fruit or vegetables?

 

[Blow-in]

So it's not to hold fruit or veg nor are the hooks there to hold a fence mesh - although these are all good guesses.

Think about hooks and a saying in English (sorry to all the none native English speakers) and you may get the name. Then you just need the purpose (which is easy with the name, just Google).

Here is a another view revealing a bit more..



I'm told these might be the last of their kind in the World!

Richard

 

[thelps]

Darn, this is a good one, quite hard.
Are they to hold a flag or banner?

 

[33dollars]

Holding animals like what barbed wire does

 

[Blow-in]

Tim,

You are getting closer with the idea that it would is something to do with fabric.

I'm pretty certain you will have heard of these things probably with no idea of what they are!

Richard

 

[thelps]

Think about hooks and a saying in English

So some sayings in English...

"By hook or by crook"
"Hook, line and sinker"
"Off the hook"
"Hook up with someone"

What about "crooked as a barrel of fish hooks" - are these for hanging fish up?

Are they for hanging a Kilt out to dry.. :lol:

What about to hang your carpet, rug or mat so you can bang the dust out of it

 

[Blow-in]

Tim,

I like the kilt idea but there is space on these things for a whole Highland Regiment's worth. 'Off the hook' was getting warm. Here is another clue....think on of a saying with hooks not hook.

Richard

 

[33dollars]

Tenterhooks

 

[thelps]

Good one Richard... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhook

And all these years I always thought it was Tenderhooks.

 

[Blow-in]

Good one Richard... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhook

And all these years I always thought it was Tenderhooks.

Well done Tim. I'll post a full picture when next at my PC.

R

 

[Blow-in]

Whoops, just saw that 33 dollars got there first - well done Phil!

Richard

 

[Blow-in]

So here is a picture of the tenters:



You can see how the cloth could be hung from the tenterhooks then stretched over the lower bars which are adjustable to avoid shrinkage as the wool dried.



This tenter-field is at the Otterburn Mills (Northumberland, UK). Sadly the mill is just a retail outlet these days but they have preserved the tenters and claim that they are the last of their kind - in the World.

So you should no longer be on tenterhooks now that Phil has cracked the teaser.

Richard

 

[thelps]

Whoops, just saw that 33 dollars got there first - well done Phil!

Richard

YEP, well done PHIL.
I think I was still a way off..

 

[33dollars]

I'm with Tim on this with the way it pronounced down here as Tenderhooks.
I never new it was Tenterhooks. That's how I will pronounce it from now on.
Would never have worked it out without the clues, but I learnt something today.