raise the curtain

1. Make something public, disclose. In this sense, both terms often occur with on , as in We won't know what the new design is until they lift the curtain on it . Both usages, from the mid-1700s, allude to the curtain raised at the beginning of a theatrical performance, revealing the stage.

2. Begin or start, as in It's time to raise the curtain, guys—start shoveling .

Idioms and Phrases

Also, lift the curtain .