curtain raiser
noun
a short play preceding a main play.
any preliminary event or performance.
Words nearby curtain raiser
curtail step, curtain, curtain call, curtain lecture, curtain line, curtain raiser, curtain shutter, curtain speech, curtain time, curtain wall, curtain-raiser
Origin of curtain raiser
First recorded in 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for curtain-raiser
British Dictionary definitions for curtain-raiser
curtain-raiser
noun
theatre a short dramatic piece presented before the main play
any preliminary eventthe debate was a curtain-raiser to the election
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
Idioms and Phrases with curtain-raiser
curtain raiser
Preliminary event, as in This limited attack on the chairman is just a curtain raiser for the concerted effort to oust him. This term literally refers to a short play or skit presented before the main theatrical production. It began to be transferred to other preliminaries about 1940.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.