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curtain
[ kur-tn ]
noun
- a hanging piece of fabric used to shut out the light from a window, adorn a room, increase privacy, etc.
Synonyms: , , ,
- a movable or folding screen used for similar purposes.
- Chiefly New England. a window shade.
- Theater.
- a set of hanging drapery for concealing all or part of the stage or set from the view of the audience.
- the act or time of raising or opening a curtain at the start of a performance:
an 8:30 curtain.
- the end of a scene or act indicated by the closing or falling of a curtain:
first-act curtain.
- an effect, line, or plot solution at the conclusion of a performance:
a strong curtain; weak curtain.
- music signaling the end of a radio or television performance.
- (used as a direction in a script of a play to indicate that a scene or act is concluded.)
- anything that shuts off, covers, or conceals:
a curtain of artillery fire.
- Architecture. a relatively flat or featureless extent of wall between two pavilions or the like.
- Fortification. the part of a wall or rampart connecting two bastions, towers, or the like.
- curtains, Slang. the end; death, especially by violence:
It looked like curtains for another mobster.
verb (used with object)
- to provide, shut off, conceal, or adorn with, or as if with, a curtain.
curtain
/ ˈ°ìɜ˳ÙÉ™²Ô /
noun
- a piece of material that can be drawn across an opening or window, to shut out light or to provide privacy
- a barrier to vision, access, or communication
a curtain of secrecy
- a hanging cloth or similar barrier for concealing all or part of a theatre stage from the audience
- the curtainthe end of a scene of a play, opera, etc, marked by the fall or closing of the curtain
- the rise or opening of the curtain at the start of a performance
verb
- trsometimes foll byoff to shut off or conceal with or as if with a curtain
- tr to provide (a window, etc) with curtains
Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms
- ³¦³Ü°ùt²¹¾±²Ô·±ô±ð²õ²õ adjective
- ³Ü²Ô·³¦³Ü°ùt²¹¾±²Ô±ð»å adjective
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of curtain1
Idioms and Phrases
- draw the curtain on / over,
- to bring to a close:
to draw the curtain on a long career of public service.
- to keep secret.
- lift the curtain on,
- to commence; start.
- to make known or public; disclose:
to lift the curtain on a new scientific discovery.
More idioms and phrases containing curtain
- draw the curtain
- raise the curtain
- ring down the curtain
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
This year's Earthshot is being viewed as the curtain raiser to COP which is due to begin a few days later in Belém, the gateway to the Amazon.
"This is the couch. There, the curtains. That was the living room. And that was the bedroom. That's my daughter's bicycle," she said.
Those working on theatre productions were among the workers facing the most uncertainty with many on freelance contracts and not knowing when the curtains would go up again.
From the chaos backstage through Selena’s solo walk through a curtain to the rapture of her adoring fans, it’s just the first of the film’s string of pure Hollywood moments.â€
There’s something undeniably funny about watching people wriggle around beneath the red velvet curtains of their box seats, shouting back and forth with the group.
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More About Curtain
What doesÌýcurtain mean?
A curtain is a sheet of fabric that’s typically hung from the wall or ceiling to cover or decorate a window or to separate two spaces, such as a theater’s stage from its seating area.
Along with blinds and shades, curtains are commonly used as window coverings in people’s homes. They can function to block light from the window, to cover it for privacy, or simply as decorations.
In the context of theater, curtain has several more specific uses. The literal curtain on a stage is used to conceal the stage until the performance is ready to be seen. The word is also used in a few figurative ways. It can refer to the starting time of a performance, as in Curtain is at 2 p.m. or We have a 7 o’clock curtain. This sense of the word refers to the when the literal curtain opens. Another sense of the word refers to when the curtain closes—it refers to the end of a scene or act, as in the second-act curtain. Curtain can also refer to the conclusion of a performance or a plot solution at the end, as in I liked the play, but I thought the curtain was weak.Ìý
The fact that most plays end with the stage curtains being closed has led to the use of the word curtains as a slang expression referring to the end or death of something, often in an exaggerated way, as in It will be curtains for me if I don’t pass this test.
A curtain call is when the performers return to the stage to acknowledge continued applause from the audience at the end of the performance (often after the curtain has closed).
Example: I got a blackout curtain for my room that doesn’t let any sunlight in.
Where doesÌýcurtain come from?
The first records of the word curtain come from the 1200s. It comes from Late Latin ³¦´Ç°ù³ÙÄ«²Ô²¹, meaning “enclosed place,†probably from the Latin cohors, meaning “courtyard.â€
Curtains are most commonly associated with their use around windows, but they can also be used to separate other areas. Roommates might place a curtain between their sides of the room for privacy. A shower curtain is used to separate the shower stall from the rest of the bathroom.
More generally, the word curtain can refer to anything that shuts off, covers, or conceals. It can also be used in a more specific way in the context of architecture to refer to a flat or featureless wall between two things.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to curtain?Ìý
- curtainless (adjective)
- uncurtained (adjective)
What are some synonyms for curtain?
What are some words that share a root or word element with curtain?Ìý
- curtains
- be curtains for
- curtain call
- court
What are some words that often get used in discussing curtain?
How isÌýcurtain used in real life?
Curtains can be found in most homes. When used in the context of theater, the word curtain has many figurative meanings.
It is 83 degrees right now and rising.
I am sitting in my living room with my blackout curtain drawn so I don’t roast in my own skin.
What is happening
— âš–ï¸Imani Gandy âš–ï¸ (@AngryBlackLady)
news my curtains are currently throwing shade at me… Should I be worriedðŸ˜
— Liam (@LiamPayne)
Reminder that new security arrangements in effect at Benedum Center. Easier than the airport but still a change. Allow a bit of extra time to make curtain.
— Bill Flanagan (@BillFlanagan)
Ìý
Ìý
Try usingÌýcurtain!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of curtain?
A. door
B. shade
C. screen
D. veil
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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