| Curtail | v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Curtailed p. pr. & vb. n. Curtailing. ] [ See Curtal. ] To cut off the end or tail, or any part, of; to shorten; to abridge; to diminish; to reduce. [ 1913 Webster ] I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] Our incomes have been curtailed; his salary has been doubled. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Curtail dog | A dog with a docked tail; formerly, the dog of a person not qualified to course, which, by the forest laws, must have its tail cut short, partly as a mark, and partly from a notion that the tail is necessary to a dog in running; hence, a dog not fit for sporting. [ 1913 Webster ] Hope is a curtail dog in some affairs. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Curtain | 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 ]
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