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Reader question: Please explain this sentence, particularly "lifted the curtain": Universal Studios has lifted the curtain on the next adventure for super spy Jason Bourne which will play at its theme park complex in Florida. My comments: Here the curtain is proverbial, i.e. figurative. In the literal sense, of course, the curtain refers to the big hanging piece of fabric used to shield actors on the stage in a theater. When play begins, the curtain is lifted, revealing what's on stage and what we are about to see. When the play is finished, we see the curtain drawn or pulled down again. Then, of course, the audience's view is again blocked by the curtain. We are no longer able to see what goes on behind the curtain. Hence, in our example, when Universal Studios lifts the curtain on the next adventure for super spy Jason Bourne, we know something that we didn't know. In other words, it's a revelation. Something is revealed for us to see. Something is unveiled. We now know, among other things, another Jason Bourne spy movie is indeed in the making. So, in short, if the curtain is lifted or pulled back or brought down, something behind is revealed. Okay? Okay, fair enough. Here are recent media examples of the proverbial curtain being lifted or pulled or, in example 2, "torn back": 1. HARVARD UNIVERSITY CAN continue using race as a factor in its admissions decisions following a federal judge's ruling Tuesday in a high-profile and contentious case that had major implications for the entire higher education industry. | 
