I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a veil/curtain of mist (= an amount of mist that prevents you seeing something clearly )
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We looked up, through the veil of mist, at the waterfall.
curtain call
curtain hook
curtain raiser
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A local team are playing as a curtain raiser to the game between England and Italy.
Iron Curtain, the
net curtains
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net curtains
safety curtain
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
black
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The action must take place against a backdrop of some description, even if it it is a blank black curtain .
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In San Jose a stage with black leather curtains waited; they were the only passengers.
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She stood for a moment behind the thick black curtain , unwilling to pull it aside.
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Silence fell like a black curtain .
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A black curtain hung in my mind.
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The tiny window had dusty, sagging black curtains which he guessed must be black-out curtains from the Second World War.
drawn
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Rozanov sat on the floor, his back against the drawn curtains .
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Shapes moved against the drawn curtains of the room beyond, and a few seconds later the girl came forward into the light.
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The Rectory's windows glowed behind drawn curtains .
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Warm Frosts Many house plants freeze to death when left on windowsills at night behind drawn curtains .
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He walked quickly past the windows with the drawn curtains to the far end of the house.
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Some few still showed the tell-tale signs of multiple occupation, dishevelled lawns, peeling paint and drawn secretive curtains .
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There were to be no drawn curtains , no signs of mourning, and certainly no black ties.
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The room was stuffy, the hot August sunshine beating against the drawn curtains .
final
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At Anfield last Saturday they made the final curtain safely, but it was a close thing.
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That would seem to wrap it up, with nothing left but a final curtain call.
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After the final curtain he went to the local hospital to have the wound attended to.
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Otherwise the High Court will order the final curtain to fall on one of motorsports most famous names.
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As their celebrations continue more facts emerge with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing up to the final curtain .
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No quick steps, no pounce, no final curtain .
heavy
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A vivid light flared outside, bright enough to penetrate the heavy curtains .
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I looked out the window, which was cov-ered by a heavy curtain .
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As they watched in horror, they saw flames eating their way up one of the heavy curtains .
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She lifted it aside - it felt like a heavy curtain - and still could not see anything.
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Hang a heavy curtain over the front door to make the hall warmer.
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I put out my hand and touched a soft, heavy curtain .
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Hang heavy curtains or curtains with thermal linings.
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To his right was a heavy curtain behind which prosecution witnesses could be concealed.
net
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He walked to the chair and looked through the grubby net curtain .
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In all of them hang net curtains .
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He walked to the window and gazed down through the net curtains .
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Neighbours had watched discreetly through parted net curtains .
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The net curtains were planets of watery growth.
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Outside, the once-respectable semis have crooked To Let signs and greying net curtains .
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A net curtain stirs at the window, diffusing the sharpness of the outside world.
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Beyond the window, a screen whose net curtains looked poised to fall, Karen heard voices.
open
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They stopped after a few more minutes and Lily peeped around the open curtain .
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Fascinated, she drew open the curtains to let in more light.
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It was open , the curtain wet and blowing.
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Window wide open , no curtains and a narrow iron bedstead that looked no more comfortable than the one he had himself.
red
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All those red velvet curtains and golden tassels, and settees with little golden legs.
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The churches are painted an earthy red , with red domes and cupolas, and thick red velvet curtains decorate the insides.
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The Volvo, whose windows wind down to reveal plush red curtains , is surrounded by stepladders.
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The audience cheered loudly as the red velvet curtains danced apart and revealed the tenor.
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The Emperor rode on a finely bedecked mule led by six pages, and was concealed behind red curtains carried on poles.
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Programmes set within living memory give us a chance to peep behind the red velvet curtains of the upper classes.
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Bright red gingham curtains hung cheerfully at all the windows.
thick
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Those across the way claimed ringside seats on wooden chairs, each sitter shielded by a thick cotton-lace curtain .
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It was impossible to see more than twenty yards in any direction through the thick grey curtain of falling water.
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But it was there, just the same, like prying eyes peering round the corner of a thick curtain .
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She stood for a moment behind the thick black curtain , unwilling to pull it aside.
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The intimate restaurant concealed behind thick curtains is tastefully decorated in art-nouveau style.
white
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As the action proper begins, Poseidon and Athene rush a white curtain round the perimeter of the auditorium.
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Lacy white curtains fluttered at open windows, and washable slipcovers in white or pale shades covered the upholstery.
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The thin white curtain , pulled back, fluttered in the cool air.
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A breeze blows the white curtains in on either side of her, two ghostly arms embracing her.
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Yellow men out of the white curtain of light.
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Helen noticed a red rug, piles of books on the floor, white eyelet cafe curtains on the windows.
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I've put the white &038; green curtains in your room instead of the beige ones - a great improvement.
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Now she longed for a set of white frilly curtains .
■ NOUN
fabric
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Doors that swing inwards present the problem of curtain fabric interfering with the operation of the doors.
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It is now necessary to spread your half pattern to fit the width of the curtain fabric as shown in fig. 50b.
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You will need the same amount of lining as outer curtain fabric , less allowance for pattern matching.
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Attaching interlining Lay curtain fabric out flat with wrong side uppermost.
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They'd murder each other over the choice of curtain fabric if they could get away with it.
lace
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The gate handle clicked sharply and she drew aside the lace curtain .
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The lace curtains seemed to have survived from obscurity, like the antique gown of a jilted bride.
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She saw a lift in the lace curtain and wondered whether Billy had his woman with him.
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Beside us the lace curtains bellied in with a faint breeze, then hung inert.
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He gazed upwards until a lace curtain flicked back and he realised an elderly woman with white hair was studying him suspiciously.
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And still others were decorated with lace curtains , tied carefully back.
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Across the street a lace curtain twitched.
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By the twenties, lace curtains and an aspidistra in the window were bad omens.
rail
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If you do not want to use a pelmet, curtain rails and poles can also provide great visual variety.
shower
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Then, through a gap in the shower curtain , he saw a dark shape.
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Jen said, sweeping aside the shower curtain and sitting down on the edge of the tub.
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There was a shadow on the shower curtain , a human-shape holding something in an upraised arm.
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This reminded me I needed to replace my shower curtains .
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It was true that the shower curtain should have been renewed.
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There was laundry hanging all along the shower curtain rod.
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The shower curtain market is changing rapidly.
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As you are painfully aware, when it comes to being handy, I can barely work a shower curtain .
velvet
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Prints of hunting and racing scenes, dark maroon velvet curtains and hardly any women to be seen.
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All those red velvet curtains and golden tassels, and settees with little golden legs.
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Her bedroom was darkened, brown velvet curtains pulled to against the daylight.
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Carpets were thick underfoot and solid velvet curtains hung at the windows, parted just sufficiently to admit a little starlight.
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The audience cheered loudly as the red velvet curtains danced apart and revealed the tenor.
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The vanished behind a velvet curtain .
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Red velvet curtains closed out the Devon night, and the bar was awash with the drunken summer school intelligentsia.
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Heavy dark green velvet curtains were partly drawn across these and allowed only a single column of light to enter the room.
■ VERB
bring
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Woolworth Corp. executives brought the curtain down Thursday on the venerable but money-losing chain of 400 five-and-dime stores.
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Now I think we should bring down the curtain on this little episode, and go to bed.
close
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I closed the curtains around the bed, and felt safe from Heathcliff and everyone else at Wuthering Heights.
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The door was closed , the curtains drawn against the morning sunlight.
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He closed the curtains and I waited for him to come out to his car.
draw
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The gate handle clicked sharply and she drew aside the lace curtain .
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He went quickly through the house to the front room and drew back the curtains .
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Sir George drew the curtains , and motioned Roland and Maud to sit down by the fire, in the velvet chairs.
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She got out of bed and drew back the curtains , letting in the sun.
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When she stopped having accidents, she would withdraw into her room and draw the curtains and complain of headache.
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He had scarcely had time to draw the curtains when there was a small, familiar tap at the door.
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He stood and went to the window to draw the curtain .
hang
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Parting the hanging curtains of the doorway, he entered another world.
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I smiled at him and pointed to my hair, hanging like a curtain over the back of the bed.
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In all of them hang net curtains .
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I can hang curtains around the cots.
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Fit draught excluders to the bottoms of doors. Hang a heavy curtain over the front door to make the hall warmer.
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I dislike the acts who hang on to the curtains , dripping sweat and beg you to applaud their efforts.
hide
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I scuttled backwards and hid behind the curtains .
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Downstairs, I hid behind the parlor curtain and watched the street.
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She was breathless, shivering with cold as she hid herself behind the curtains of the four-poster.
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Once, during a party, she hid behind the curtains and kicked at his ankle as he passed.
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A huge part of the real Mr Kinnock remains hidden behind the curtains that segregate his private jet.
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Life was always hidden behind curtains and doors, at home.
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She whispered that the Devil hid behind the curtains , a red devil with a feathery red tail.
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His life was hidden behind floral curtains .
lift
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There is one place only where he lifts the curtain .
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She plops down on the empty cot and lifts a curtain to peer out the window.
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Mr Rochester lifted the curtain , opened the secret door and showed us the little room.
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He lifted the curtain to his lips, kissed it tenderly, and then turned to his audience.
part
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A woman in her early fifties parted beige curtains on the inside door and peered out at him.
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Omar Duvall had gone to the window over the sink and parted the water-stained curtain .
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And on this silent parting the curtain fell.
pull
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Athelstan pulled the curtain back and wrinkled his nose at the smell.
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When you come right down to it, I neither pulled the curtain nor turned off the light.
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He pulled back a curtain revealing a brick wall close outside the window.
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Squirt pulled back the curtain and went out.
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The effort of pulling back the curtain brought a renewed stab of pain.
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At the top she would lead him into a booth and pull the curtain shut behind him.
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He pulled back one curtain and looked at his watch.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
pull the curtains/blinds
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Could you pull the blinds, please?
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I dragged her over to the side of the stage and began pulling the curtains.
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It was getting dark so he pulled the curtains and put on the overhead light.
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Marie pulls the curtains back and steps out.
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She waited until the door was closed and then crossed to the window of her suite, pulling the curtains aside.
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What we do is, pull the curtains shut and switch on the fire.
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When we got to the room she went to pull the curtains.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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A dense curtain of fog caused traffic problems.
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a shower curtain
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Before the curtain went up, the dancers took their places on the stage.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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A breeze blows the white curtains in on either side of her, two ghostly arms embracing her.
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In the corner of the room is a large bed hung with a dark musty surrounding curtain .
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In the drapery room, for example, the formations hang from the ceiling like curtains.
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It is available in three depths to suit all lengths of curtain .
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There was a filthy shroud of cobweb across it, but no curtain beyond.
II. verb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Behind him, the windows were curtained with white cotton, receding on a brass bar into the corner.
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Spread throughout the pond, seven pale piles of limbs, bared teeth, faces curtained off by their hair.
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The windows were curtained in heavy velvet.