View synonyms for curtain raiser

curtain raiser

noun

a short play preceding a main play.
any preliminary event or performance.

curtain-raiser

noun

theatre a short dramatic piece presented before the main play
any preliminary event
the debate was a curtain-raiser to the election

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Word History and Origins

Origin of curtain raiser¹

First recorded in 1885–90

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Idioms and Phrases

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.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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