nail biter

• nailbiter, nail-biter

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nail biter (plural nail biters)

1. (literal) One who habitually bites or chews their fingernails.
2. (figurative) A situation which causes anxiety, suspense, nervousness or discomfort.

   Synonym: cliffhanger

   It was a real nail biter waiting for the test results.

   • 2018 August 8, Frank Bruni, “A Nail-Biter in Ohio Is a Democratic Triumph”, in New York Times‎:

     And in a shockingly misogynistic ad, Republicans placed an image of O’Connor in a huddle of three supposedly nightmarish mascots of liberalism, all women: Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton. O’Connor absorbed all of this and still turned the race into a nail-biter.