Iron Curtain
Preserved but no longer current.
A phrase used to describe the almost impenetrable secrecy with which all happenings in the U.S.S.R. or countries dominated by Russia are concealed from the rest of the world. The phrase was first used by Count Schwenn von Krosigk, the German statesman, in 1945.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Iron Curtain” mean?
A phrase used to describe the almost impenetrable secrecy with which all happenings in the U.S.S.R. or countries dominated by Russia are concealed from the rest of the world. The phrase was first used by Count Schwenn von Krosigk, the German statesman, in 1945.
Is “Iron Curtain” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.