a situation in a story, film, competition, etc. that is very exciting because you cannot guess what will happen next, or you do not find out immediately what happens next (故事、电影、竞赛等扣人心弦的)悬念 The first part of the serial ended with a real cliffhanger. 这部连续剧的第一集以扣人心弦的悬念告终。 Tonight’s vote on European policy threatens to be a cliffhanger. 今晚对欧洲政策的投票可能会是一场扣人心弦的比赛。
Word Origin1930s: from early film serials in which episodes ended with characters in desperate situations such as hanging off the edge of a cliff.