| the curtain falls on something the curtain falls (on (something)) the end comes to something, esp. a job or activity. Brown managed to get a lot done before the curtain fell on his political career. This year rings down the curtain on more than 50 years of broadcasts. Usage notes: also used in the phrase the final curtain falls: His admirers want to honor the singer before the final curtain falls on his career. Etymology: from the large curtains above the stage in a theater that are brought down at the end of a performance |