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Iron curtain

//ˌaɪən ˈkɜː.tən// name, noun

Definitions

Proper Noun

1
The dividing line between Western Europe and the Soviet-controlled regions, especially during the Cold War (1947–1991). historical
"We liked the plain people of Russia wherever we met them. […] We were behind the "iron curtain" at last!"

Noun

1
A barrier made of iron in a theatre, lowered between the stage and the auditorium for safety or to prevent communication.
2
an impenetrable barrier to communication or information especially as imposed by rigid censorship and secrecy; used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the demarcation between democratic and communist countries wordnet
3
Any impenetrable barrier. figuratively
"The coup d'etat also constituted an iron curtain for the social scientists."

Etymology

Etymology 1

A specialized use of iron curtain (“(figurative) impenetrable barrier”), probably partly a calque of German eiserner Vorhang which was used in speeches in the 1940s that were translated into English. The English term appeared in telegrams from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874–1965) to the United States President Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) in 1945, before being popularized in a speech given by Churchill at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946.

Etymology 2

From iron + curtain.

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