Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A short opening piece acted before the principal play of the evening.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Most Pixar films, even the emotionally-devastating Toy Story 3, went out with G ratings, but Bolt went out with a PG for basically having a (fantastic) curtain-raiser opening action sequence that was quickly revealed to be fake and for a climactic moment of fiery peril for the lead characters.
Scott Mendelson: What Does a Cartoon Have to Do to Get a 'G' These Days? Scott Mendelson 2010
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Most Pixar films, even the emotionally-devastating Toy Story 3, went out with G ratings, but Bolt went out with a PG for basically having a (fantastic) curtain-raiser opening action sequence that was quickly revealed to be fake and for a climactic moment of fiery peril for the lead characters.
Scott Mendelson: What Does a Cartoon Have to Do to Get a 'G' These Days? Scott Mendelson 2010
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Martin SkeggAn engaging curtain-raiser for next month's World Cup, which begins on 9 September.
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Most Pixar films, even the emotionally-devastating Toy Story 3, went out with G ratings, but Bolt went out with a PG for basically having a (fantastic) curtain-raiser opening action sequence that was quickly revealed to be fake and for a climactic moment of fiery peril for the lead characters.
Scott Mendelson: What Does a Cartoon Have to Do to Get a 'G' These Days? Scott Mendelson 2010
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Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane have a good curtain-raiser explaining that for all the Republicans' pomp and excitement, "few of the items on their agenda are likely to end up in law as conceived."
The Morning Plum Greg Sargent 2011
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But before all that, there's the small matter of this new year's curtain-raiser taking place on Bournemouth's fine Victorian pier.
New Year's Eve clubs 2011
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South Downs was commissioned by the Terence Rattigan Trust to serve as a curtain-raiser to a new production of The Browning Version marking the centenary of the playwright's birth.
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This acted as a curtain-raiser for the important restatement of the ideals themselves:
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The popular perception has been that democracy and fascism fought it out in Spain in a curtain-raiser for the approaching world war.
Taking A Separate Path David Pryce-Jones 2011
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Moments before, a hush had descended on the normally bustling London landmark as he began reading from his family memoir: A Life Like Other People's at Friday night's curtain-raiser for World Book Night - where a line-up of literary heavywights including Margaret Atwood, John Le Carré and Philip Pullman read from their own works and those of other writers.
hernesheir commented on the word curtain-raiser
A light or humorous one-act dramatic presentation that preceded the full-length drama that was the primary part of a theater program. Common in the 19th century but now obsolete.
One wonders if the news-reels and/or cartoons that used to precede films in a cinema was an outgrowth of this custom.
September 22, 2009