A story, movie, or episode that ends at a moment of suspense or great danger, leaving the audience in eager anticipation; any suspenseful situation with an uncertain outcome.
From 'cliff' + 'hang,' originally from serial adventure films (1910s-1920s) like 'The Perils of Pauline' where heroines literally hung from cliffs. The term metaphorically extended to any suspenseful narrative.
The original 'cliffhangers' were literal—silent film serials would literally show heroines dangling from cliffsides at each episode's end, forcing audiences back to theaters next week; now the word's a metaphor, but the visceral anxiety remains the same.
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