nail biter

plural nail biters · alternative nailbiter · alternative nail-biter

1. literalOne who habitually bites or chews their fingernails.

   But Victor did not reveal any behavior disorder, did not pick his nose, did not suck his thumb, was not even a nail biter.

   1957 March 7, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 4.3, in Pnin, Heinemann, page 90

2. figurativelyA situation which causes anxiety, suspense, nervousness or discomfort.

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

   2 more examples

   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.

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

   Shabana Mahmood, in her role as chair of Labour's national executive committee, confirmed Burnham's victory on stage at the special party conference, conceding that it was “hardly a nail-biter”.

   2026 July 18, Jim Pickard, Lucy Fisher, “Burnham vows to be pro-business PM”, in FT Weekend (International section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2

   Synonyms: cliffhanger