curtain lecture

Save This Word!

noun

Older Use. a scolding administered in private by a wife to her husband.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of curtain lecture

First recorded in 1625–35

Words nearby curtain lecture

curtail, curtailment, curtail step, curtain, curtain call, curtain lecture, curtain line, curtain raiser, curtains, curtains for, be., curtain shutter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curtain lecture in a sentence

Nobody has to lecture me about how Sharpton has played racial politics in New York.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After the curtain calls, Christopher comes back to explain a complicated math problem.
Hedwig, Hugh & Michael Cera: 12 Powerhouse Theater Performances of 2014|Janice Kaplan|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They keep their heads low while running behind a large curtain covering the opening between two housing blocks.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For anyone who cared to watch, the event and its denouement provided a graphic demonstration that the Iron Curtain was crumbling.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The last time a Pope addressed the parliament in Strasbourg was in 1988 when an Iron Curtain still divided the continent.
Pope’s Blistering Attack on ‘Haggard’ Europe|Nico Hines|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She walked away toward another door, which was masked with a curtain that she lifted.
Confidence|Henry James
I seized the opportunity to watch what I supposed would be a most interesting interview, from behind a curtain.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
She thrust a bare, white arm from the curtain which shielded her open door, and received the cup from his hands.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
We haven't even seen a review of the piece; the footlights go up with a jump, and now the curtain rises.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The overture is over, the curtain is about to rise on the drama of Georgie's married life.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for curtain lecture

curtain lecture

noun

a scolding or rebuke given in private, esp by a wife to her husband

Word Origin for curtain lecture

alluding to the curtained beds where such rebukes were once given

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012