curtain call

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The moment at the end of a performance when the actors come back on stage to receive applause.

   Grammar: Usually singular in this sense: 'the curtain call'. Can be plural: 'curtain calls'.

   Patterns

   • take a curtain call
   • during the curtain call

   The audience clapped loudly during the curtain call.

   She received three curtain calls after her solo.

   The whole cast came out for a final curtain call.

2. 2nouncountablefigurative

   The final appearance or moment of someone's career or public life, often celebrated.

   Grammar: Used figuratively, often in the phrase 'a final curtain call'.

   Patterns

   • final curtain call
   • somebody's curtain call

   The veteran actor made his final curtain call last night.

   The championship was a fitting curtain call for her career.

   This tour is the band's curtain call after 30 years.

Word forms

Common combinations

take a curtain call

The lead actor took a curtain call alone.

final curtain call

The singer's final curtain call moved the audience to tears.

receive a curtain call

The dancers received a curtain call after the finale.

during the curtain call

Flowers were thrown onto the stage during the curtain call.

Synonyms and how they differ

bow

A bow is the action of bending to acknowledge applause; a curtain call is the whole return to the stage, which may include bows.

encore

An encore is an extra performance after the show; a curtain call is just the return to the stage for applause, not an extra piece.

Word family

curtain noun

The cloth screen on a stage; the curtain call is named because it happens after the curtain falls.

call noun

A signal or invitation; in 'curtain call', it refers to the summons back to the stage.

Commonly confused: curtain call or encore?

Practice

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