cliffhanger
/ˌklɪfˈhæŋ.ə(ɹ)/ noun
Forms cliffhangers cliff hanger cliff-hanger
- noun (narratology) An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a story unresolved, in order to create suspense.
- noun (by extension) An outcome which is awaited with keen anticipation, especially one which is delayed for a period of time or which is not known until the last minute.
Antonyms
Etymology
From cliff + hanger, evoking the image of someone left hanging from a cliff, thereby having an uncertain fate. The term cliffhanger is considered to have originated with the serialized version of Thomas Hardy's A Pair of Blue Eyes, published in Tinsley's Magazine in the 1870s, in which the character Henry Knight is left hanging off of a cliff. It was inspired by a real life story from his wife Emma's childhood, when she had to rescue one of her school friends from a similar position.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “cliffhanger”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details