the curtain falls

the curtain falls (on something) also somebody/something rings down the curtain on something

the end comes to something, esp. a job or activity Brown managed to get a lot done before the curtain fell on his political career. This year rings down the curtain on more than 50 years of broadcasts.

Usage notes: also used in the phrase the final curtain falls: His admirers want to honor the singer before the final curtain falls on his career.

Etymology: from the large curtains above the stage in a theater that are brought down at the end of a performance

See also: curtain, fall