The curtain rises

The curtain rises
Curtain Cur"tain (k[^u]r"t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A hanging screen intended to darken or conceal, and admitting of being drawn back or up, and reclosed at pleasure; esp., drapery of cloth or lace hanging round a bed or at a window; in theaters, and like places, a movable screen for concealing the stage. [1913 Webster]

2. (Fort.) That part of the rampart and parapet which is between two bastions or two gates. See Illustrations of {Ravelin} and {Bastion}. [1913 Webster]

3. (Arch.) That part of a wall of a building which is between two pavilions, towers, etc. [1913 Webster]

4. A flag; an ensign; -- in contempt. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{Behind the curtain}, in concealment; in secret.

{Curtain lecture}, a querulous lecture given by a wife to her husband within the bed curtains, or in bed. --Jerrold. [1913 Webster]

A curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering. --W. Irving.

{The curtain falls}, the performance closes.

{The curtain rises}, the performance begins.

{To draw the curtain}, to close it over an object, or to remove it; hence: (a) To hide or to disclose an object. (b) To commence or close a performance.

{To drop the curtain}, to end the tale, or close the performance. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • the curtain rises — the screen is raised; it s the beginning, everything is starting; the show is starting …   English contemporary dictionary

  • The curtain falls — Curtain Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Behind the curtain — Curtain Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • To draw the curtain — Curtain Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • To drop the curtain — Curtain Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curtain — Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curtain lecture — Curtain Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • The Miraculous Mandarin — or The Wonderful Mandarin (Hungarian: A csodálatos mandarin; German: Der Wunderbare Mandarin) Op. 19, Sz. 73 (BB 82), is a one act pantomime ballet composed by Béla Bartók between 1918–1924, and based on the story by Melchior Lengyel. Premiered… …   Wikipedia

  • The Starlight Express — is a children s play by Violet Pearn, [Dramatist Violet Pearn, born at Plymouth in 1890, was the author of many plays, and adapted several of Algernon Blackwood s tales.] based on the imaginative novel A Prisoner in Fairyland by Algernon… …   Wikipedia

  • The Yeomen of the Guard — The opera is set in the Tower of London, during the 16th century, and is the darkest, and perhaps most emotionally engaging, of the Savoy Operas, ending with a broken hearted main character and two very reluctant engagements, rather than the… …   Wikipedia

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