pull back the curtain

Meaning: To expose a hidden truth or reality behind an appearance.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Category: Daily Life

Origin: The image draws on theater curtains that conceal the stage machinery and workings behind the performance.

More idioms — Daily Life

present company excepted — These remarks do not apply to anyone currently present in this conversation.
on sufferance — Tolerated reluctantly and only because one has no better choice.
friend of Bill W. — A recovering alcoholic, especially one in Alcoholics Anonymous.
wear out one's welcome — To overstay one's time as a guest until one's presence becomes unwelcome or burdensome.
live in the past — To be preoccupied with previous events and unable to move forward in life.
in black and white — Stated explicitly and in writing; absolutely clear and unambiguous.

set in stone — Unchangeable and permanent, fixed beyond modification.
nothing short of — Absolutely; entirely; completely—nothing less than the full extent of what is stated.
give up the ghost — To die, or to cease functioning entirely.
hammer and tongs — With great vigor and force; in a determined and vigorous manner.
string attached — A hidden condition or requirement that makes something less advantageous than it initiall…
rhyme or reason — Any logical sense or reasonable explanation.

Unique New York. — Three words that jam the 'y/n/k' sequence together — repeat it and it collapses into 'you…
Pad kid poured curd pulled cod. — Alternating repetition — the consonants swap at the start of every other word, which is w…
Red lorry, yellow lorry. — The 'l/r' alternation drill — deceptively short, yet almost impossible to say fast withou…